The Chosen Happy Ending
by Dr. Singe
Summary: Emma had her happy ending. We all watched it on TV. But there was another path she could have chosen, that would have taken her to an equally happy ending. This is a Once Upon A Time story about Emma being transported to another realm, where she had fallen in love with Regina instead of Hook.
1. Chapter 1

Emma grabbed her coat and stalked out of the house, wanting to slam the door, but instead used all of her willpower to rise above the temptation. Just because she was mad at Hook doesn't mean she had to wake the baby as well. She loved Hook and she definitely loved their baby, Hope, but she needed to get out of the house for a few hours. She stormed in the direction of Granny's, letting her anger carry her on the familiar path while she brewed over her fight with Hook. She couldn't even remember how the fight started, it felt like a storm had been gathering the last few days, and today was just the day the lightening struck. Emma shook her head and pulled out her phone. She was about to call Snow, to see if she wanted to meet at Granny's, when a voice behind her said "Frustrating isn't it?"

Emma whirled around but there was no one on the street, the street lights illuminating the road behind her. She paused, waiting for a figure to form out of the shadows, but none came. She gave one last sweeping look over the sidewalk. Deciding her frustration was toying with her hearing, Emma turned to resume her walk down the street. She took all of two steps before she realized that someone had materialized leaning against a fence a few yards in front of her. The stranger was lean and tall, but his features were obscured by the shadow of a nearby tree. She reached for her gun, only to realize she'd left her holster at home. From her many run-ins with people or creatures who could teleport like that, she knew running was likely no good, so she squared her shoulders and asked, "Who are you?"

Emma still couldn't see the man's face, but she could hear the smile in his voice as he responded, "An interesting question, but not one pertinent to this conversation."

Emma waited for him to go on, but the silence just kept stretching until she snapped, "What do you want to talk about." She was tired, frustrated, and in no mood for annoying magic tricks.

Still with that smile in his voice, the man said "I want to talk about you Emma. You've been through so much over the years. Breaking the curse, finding love, becoming the Dark One… but tell me, how do you like your happy ending?"

Emma chose to ignore the question, "Who told you about me?"

"My _dear_ Emma, no one had to tell me about you, I've always known you. You're one of my two favorite versions."

Emma's head tilted slightly, "Versions of what?"

"Versions of you, dear."

Emma's eyes strained against the shadows covering the man in front of her. Her mind caught on his last word. "Rumpelstiltskin?"

"No, I'm not the Dark One." He leaned forward slightly, but his face remained sheathed in shadow, "I can do things he can only dream of."

Emma shuttered slightly, "What do you want?"

"It's not what I want, dear. It's about what you want."

"I have everything I want."

Again, that damn smile could be heard as he said, "Do you, dear? Storming down the street after a fight with the captain. Is this the life you imagined?"

"He's my true love, of course we'll fight, but he's still my happy ending."

"He didn't have to be."

"What are you saying?"

The man's head tilted, "Isn't it obvious, dear? I'm saying this is the happy ending you chose. Sometimes our first choice isn't the right one, and we don't get to keep those. Like yours, all those years ago. Do you remember?"

An understanding flickered in Emma's eyes, but he went on anyway, "Tallahassee, with Neal. You would have sold the watches, and then gone on to live an honest life together, until Henry came along, and then your quaint two would have become three."

"What do you want?" Emma growled.

The man ignored her, "What a life you three would have had, quiet, peaceful, and so very loving." He paused, letting the image sink in, "But that wasn't to be, so your story led you here, to Storybrooke. Where you found your family and eventually fell in love."

"And I have no regrets, I love Hook, and my parents, and my kids, so what the hell is your point."

"That's your happy ending Emma, the one you chose… in this realm."

"So what?"

"There's another realm, just as happy, but different from this one. Well, obviously there are lots of other happy realms, but the one I'm talking about, the one I'm going to show you, is the only other realm where you are as happy as you are here. Because I know how happy you are, how much you love your husband and the rest of your family. I know how content you are, despite moments like these. You wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're damn right I wouldn't." Her hands were curling into fists, defensive of the life she has.

"But there is one other realm, where you are just as strong, just as passionate, where you're with your parents, and Henry, and all the other fairytale characters you love. Where you're as equally in love as you are here."

She snarled "I would love Hook in any realm." Even though she knew that wasn't true, had been to a realm where they had never even met.

"I didn't say anything about Hook, did I?"

"What-"

"Sorry Emma, but your time for questions is over. Now I'm going to show you."

"If you think, even for a second, that you can," but the stranger lifted a hand, and just like that the ground vanished from under Emma, and she was falling…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, thanks for reading. I'd like to say three things before we dive into the chapter: first and foremost, I'd like to give a big shout out to the wonderful everythingbothgoodandevil for Betaing this chapter. Secondly, I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters (Regina just owns my heart). And thirdly/most importantly, I hope you enjoy the story.**

Emma landed with a knee jarring thud onto the pavement. Her meeting with the stranger was becoming blurred in her mind. What had he said? Something about realms and happy endings. She groaned and straightened out her body. It looked like she was on Main Street in Storybrooke. She could see Granny's neon sign glowing down the road. She rolled her shoulders. She couldn't recall what exactly the stranger had said, but she remembered everything before that. She could also remember the feeling of panic she'd felt when she was talking to the stranger. She felt panicked, because… that stranger said or implied something about Hook. She shook her head and began making long strides towards the diner. She needed to get to a phone and call her husband, make sure he and the baby were okay. The Savior took in her surroundings while walking, everything seemed to be as it always was, but whatever that man had told her, despite the details getting fuzzier with every step, the fear of the encounter still lingered.

She reached the picket fence just outside Granny's and took the steps that lead inside, two at a time. She threw open the door, and stormed in, scanning the restaurant as she closed the door. Snow and David were sitting in a booth to her left, and Emma immediately stalked towards them. David saw her first and exclaimed, "Emma! We were worried about you, Regina just called and-"

Emma cut across him, "It'll have to wait." She slid in next to her mom and said, "I need your phone, it's an emergency." Snow's face registered with surprise, but she quickly pulled out her purse and handed over her flip-phone.

"What happened to yours?" David asked.

"I-" Emma paused, then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her own phone. "I forgot I had it." She flipped it open and immediately clicked Hook's name in her contacts list. The damn thing went straight to voicemail, which was full. Emma snapped it shut and pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath and then told David "I need you to give me a ride back to my house."

Her father nodded., but as he and Emma began to slide out of the booth, Snow grabbed her daughter's sleeve. "Wait, Emma. What's going on?"

"Nothing for sure yet, but I need to go find Hook."

Snow's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Why do you need to find Hook?"

"We got in a fight, and I had this weird encounter with somebody. Now I just need to make sure he's okay."

David's expression was puzzled as he enquired, "Why were you fighting with Hook?"

Emma threw her hands up, a flicker of annoyance racing through her, "Because we fight okay! It's not unheard of, and I've seen you guys fight a bunch of times." She glared at her parents.

Snow was watching Emma with concern, but it was David who responded, "Of course Snow and I fight, but what does that have to do with you and Hook?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying that it's not out of the ordinary for couples to fight."

Snow's eyes widened, "Emma, are you saying that you and Hook a-are together?"

Emma turned to look fully at her mother. "Of course, we are! You were at our-"

But before she could finish, David broke in, "Wait, you and Hook! Does Tink know?"

"What do you mean does Tink know? Everyone kn-" but this time she was interrupted by Snow's gasp. The brunette released the blonde's sleeve and grabbed her arm.

"Emma, does Regina know?" Snow's eyes grew so unbearably sad that Emma softened, slightly.

"Mom, I'm _pretty_ sure she does. It's not exactly hard to miss."

"Emma, you haven't told her?"

The blonde's temper was beginning to flare again but responded with a cool voice, "No, I haven't told her. I'm confident she's noticed by now."

Snow finally let go of her arm. "Emma, how could you be so cruel? You have to at least tell her to her face."

Emma's jaw dropped slightly "Wha-, her fa-, Regina is off ruling the realms, I don't think she has time for me to state the obvious."

Her parents glanced at each other, "Emma," David gently prodded, "what do you mean Regina is out ruling the realms? I just saw her this afternoon."

Snow nodded before adding, "and I just got off the phone with her. That's what David was trying to tell you when you came in. Regina called and said you hadn't been home for a few hours and it was getting late," Her eyes dropped slightly, "She mentioned you guys had a bit of an argument earlier, but she was getting a little worried and wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why would Regina care how late I stay out? No, wait, I left home like 15 minutes ago." Emma placed her hands flat against the table, taking in a deep breath, "Look, I'm not exactly sure what's going on. I remember having a fight with Hook, and I stormed out of the house. Then everything past that gets kind of, fuzzy. All I really know is that I need to find him."

She rose out of the booth, and just as Snow asked, "Wait, you stormed out of the house because of a fight with Hook?" the door to the diner opened, and in stepped the black-clothed pirate himself.

"Killian," Emma breathed, relief washing through her. She ran and flung her arms around him. Hook's arms seemed to wrap around her out of reflex. She pulled back and said, "I know you might still be upset, but I'm sorry about the fight. It was stupid, and I'd really just like to put it behind us."

Killian gave her a confused smile, "I'm not quite sure what you're talking about Emma, but I assure you, I harbor no hard feelings."

Emma's brow furrowed, but she was distracted by the woman standing next to Killian. It was Tinker Bell, she must have slipped through the door behind Hook. But what really grabbed Emma's attention was Tinkerbell's fingers laced through Hook's. The ex-fairy cleared her throat, "What's going on?"

Emma tore her gaze away from the two, looking behind them, expecting to see a baby carrier. "Where's Hope?" She glanced back up in time to catch Hook and David silently conversing. The men quickly broke eye contact when they noticed Emma watching.

Snow swiftly moved to Emma's side. "Clearly, there's been some confusion, but why don't we all head down to the station, and we can talk about it." She suggested.

"The station? Why not just talk here?" Emma countered.

"Emma, there are a lot of people here, most of whom just want to have uninterrupted meals." David replied.

Emma glanced around, several people were anxiously eyeing their group. She finally nodded, "Fine, let's go to the station."

Hook looked at Tink, who shrugged, and turned to lead her out, correctly assuming that his presence would be required. Emma and David moved to follow, but Snow said, "I'll catch up to you guys, I'm just going to pay the tab." David nodded.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Snow once again pulled out her phone. She dialed quickly and anxiously held the mobile to her ear.

A low, velvety voice answered the phone, "Hello."

"Regina, hi. I need you to come down to the station. There's something wrong with Emma."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma and Hook had been seated around a table in the interrogation room for over thirty minutes. Emma's continuous scowling towards Tink became unnerving enough that, at Hook's urging, Tink left in the pursuit of coffee a few moments ago. The pirate was slightly slouched in his chair, returning the Savior's frustrated stare. Tired of the silence, he leaned forward pleading for the savior to understand, "I'm sorry, Swan, truly I am. You have to trust me though, the life you remember isn't real. I'm in love with Tinkerbell, and you're in love with-"

"Don't!" Emma threw a hand up, in indication for Hook to stop, "Just, don't say it."

Hook's chin dipped into a slight nod, but continued, "Whether I say it or not doesn't change the fact, love. I don't know what happened to you, but we'll figure it out. I promise, we'll get your memories back."

"My memories aren't missing." Emma snarled, "I remember every second of my life in Storybrooke. I remember our first real kiss after we went through Zelena's time portal, I remember the moment you proposed to me, and I remember the look on your face the first time you held our daughter." Her gaze softened as she spoke, and the vulnerability in her eyes pulled at Hook's sympathy. His concern for her wasn't as a lover though, just as a friend that hated seeing the pain rip through the woman across from him.

Holding her gaze, Hook softly pressed, "Emma, I already told you. _We_ never went through a time portal, and you rejected my advances. Eventually, I moved on. Tink helped me to be a better person, then she and I fell for each other through that bond."

The blonde shook her head, "No, your memories must be fake ones from another curse, because that's not what happened. We love each other."

Killian slumped back in his seat, unable to disagree with her again. "I can't keep arguing with you, Emma."

Emma frowned in frustration which steeled with resolve as she stood from her chair. Hook warily watched as she approached his side of the table. She confidently assured, "You don't have to. I can prove it." Before she launched herself forward and kissed him with every bit of passion she possessed.

Before the pirate could push her back, or even fully realize what was happening, the door crashed open. Emma and Hook flew apart as a very angry woman in fitted black pants, a red button up blouse, and knee-high boots, stormed in.

Regina's eyes, now locked on Hook, promised a slow and very painful demise as she slowly demanded, "What the _hell_ is going on?"

"So, you're telling me that Emma somehow believes she's in love with the One-handed Wonder and doesn't remember a damn thing about being with me," Regina stormed.

Hook sighed, "I thought we were passed all the name calling."

"Killian, now's not the time." Snow broke in. She, Regina, Hook, and David were all standing outside the one-way mirror that overlooked the interrogation room. Emma was still sitting inside, still stewing over her kiss with Hook not breaking a curse.

"What matters is us getting Emma's correct memories back," David said, stepping up to stand beside Snow.

"Regina, true love's kiss can break any curse," Snow whispered. "Go save Emma."

Regina crossed her arms, "In case you missed your daughter's assault on the pirate, Emma doesn't remember being in love with me. Even worse, she believes she's in love with Captain Guyliner of all people and believing is just as important as the kiss. So, no, a kiss won't dispel what has a hold on her. Besides, whatever it is, I don't think it's a curse. Most curses don't effect just one person, at least, not the way Emma is affected."

"Alright, well let's think." David pushed, "If it's not a curse, there has to be a way to remind her of who she really is."

Snow nodded and turned towards Regina, "Is there anything in your vault that could help us?" But her former-foe stopped paying attention. The mayor stared at Emma, who was taking off her jacket.

"Something's not right." Regina hissed. She spun on her heels and stalked toward the closed interrogation room. Throwing open the door, the reformed Queen raked her eyes over Emma. "Pull down your collar," Regina commanded.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked, glancing at her parents who had crowded the doorway behind Regina.

"Your sweater, tug the neck down." The mayor repeated. Emma looked at the mayor like she thought the brunette was crazy, but she did it, revealing two sharp, white collarbones.

"You're not Emma." Regina breathed.

"What?" Snow and Emma demanded at the same time.

Regina turned her back on Emma and focused on Snow, "This may be an Emma, but not ours. Our Emma had a bruise around her right collarbone. This one doesn't."

Snow's brow furrowed, "What makes you think Emma wouldn't just heal it with magic?"

Regina looked uncomfortable, "Trust me, she wouldn't have."

"How can you be sure? How'd she even get it?" David questioned, concern saturating his voice.

Regina shifted her feet. "Just…" Regina was clearly searching for words, "she explicitly told me she had no desire to rid herself of the mark."

Not satisfied, David argued, "But-"

"David, don't worry, she wasn't in any pain when she got it."

Snow's mouth formed a small 'o' of understanding. David's face mirrored the mayor's uncomfortable expression, yet he still pressed, "But," he cleared his throat, "how come we haven't noticed it?"

"She's been wearing turtlenecks all week." Regina answered, a cool face she picked up as the queen naturally slipping into place.

"So, what? This Emma is a fake?" Snow asked, looking over the brunette's shoulder at the blonde.

Emma looked affronted, "I'm not 'a fake.' I _am_ Emma."

Regina turned to face the Savior again, a wicked smile curling her lips, "Let's find out, shall we?" In a swirl of purple smoke, a small glass phial appeared in the ex-Evil Queen's open hand.

Emma eyed the object wearily. "Relax," Regina tutted, "it's just a disillusion potion. It won't hurt if you're really her." She stretched out her hand and pushed the glass into Emma's. "Drink it," she ordered, a devilish smirk lighting her eyes.

Knowing she had nothing to hide, the sheriff uncorked the little bottle and drank it down in a single swallow. Her face scrunched in distaste, "It tastes like feet."

Satisfied that this Emma was real, Regina raised a sculpted eyebrow, "You have an impressive palate. That potion was brewed with chameleon feet." Emma grimaced in disgust, but, before she could respond, Regina walked further into the room and continued, "Well, if you are _a_ real Emma, and this isn't a curse or memory wipe," she reached the opposite wall and crossed her arms, "that means a portal."

"Wait, if this is an Emma from another realm, where's our Emma?" Snow anxiously asked.

Regina let out a sigh, "I don't know."

"Well, let's go find her." David insisted, but Regina didn't move.

"I may not know where she is, but I don't think she's here, in this realm."

"Well then where-," but before Snow could finish, a small voice chirped, "Mommy?"

Regina instantly pushed off the wall and strode towards the door, but a dark-haired child pushed through Snow and David's legs before Regina could reach them. A tall red-head appeared behind the child. "Zelena, I asked you to keep her in the office," Regina growled as she scooped up the little girl.

Zelena huffed, "I tried, but she's titchy and fast. You try hanging on to her."

Regina scowled at her sister, "Don't call her titchy." Zelena rolled her eyes.

Emma began to ask, "Wait, who's-," but the child met the Savior's gaze, and she was struck by how much the little girl looked like Regina, except her eyes. They looked strangely familiar. In fact, they looked like Emma's, exactly like Emma's.

The blonde's own eyes bulged, flitting from Regina, to the child, and back again, "That's not possible."

The mayor froze, her expression carefully controlled. "What's not possible, Ms. Swan?"

Emma glowered at her, "Don't toy with me, Regina. Tell me who's child that is."

Regina mentally grasped for a lie, anyone she could think of that had eyes like her daughter's. Before she could however, the child nestled closer to Regina, cowering at Emma's stare, and whispered, "Mommy, why's Mama mad?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I know it's taken me a bit to post this chapter, but I got slammed with finals and then the holidays. Everything is settled down now, so I'll be back to posting regularly** **Also, I need to give a huge thank you to Ivy Quinzel (formerly known as everythingbothgoodandevil) for Betaing this chapter. Let me know if you like where the story is going!**

Emma started shaking her head, but before she could form a sentence, Regina hastily instructed, "Honey, I want you to go play with Auntie Z for a while. I'll be right there; I promise." She gave a tight smile and handed the girl off to her sister.

Emma waited until she couldn't hear Zelena's footsteps and then leaped out of her chair. Sensing the coming tirade and knowing Emma's need to move while she's upset, Regina lifted her hands and she, Emma, and the Charming's were poofed into Regina's living room. She'd left Hook at the station but decided Emma would likely need the comfort of her parents nearby.

Emma recognized her surroundings, but her mood wasn't improved by the change of scenery. She whirled towards Regina. "How the _hell_ does that kid look like me?" The blonde seethed.

Regina leaned back against the arm of the couch, resigning herself to the storm. "What do you already know about _us_?" Regina gestured with her hand between the two of them.

Emma's expression didn't lighten as she started pacing, "I know everyone thinks that somehow, _we_ ended up together. Judging from the kid I just saw at the station though, I'm fairly certain there's more that I haven't heard." She threw a pointed look at her parents' slightly abashed expressions.

Regina lifted her hands in a sign of surrender, "Calm down, Ms. Swan. I can explain everything." Emma's attention, however, was diverted by a sparkling flash on Regina's hand.

Emma's mouth suddenly became incredibly dry, and she stopped pacing. The sheriff swallowed before she slowly choked out, "Regina, what's on your hand?"

Confused at what Emma was staring at, Regina glanced down. Her shoulders tensed when she realized her mistake. She hadn't thought to take it off, because, even though Emma clearly didn't know everything, Regina had assumed that she would at least know _that_ , she had to know… Regina cleared her throat and responded, "It's my wedding ring." Emma seemed to have stopped breathing. The mayor frowned, "You were just raging about our child, how could our marriage be more shocking?"

The blonde answered seemingly in a daze, "It's just so… final." Emma let out a breath on the last word.

The brunette's frown deepened, "You're married to the pirate in your realm, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but Killian… Killian and I worked so hard. We fought for each other. We're each other's true love."

Regina was getting frustrated. She and Emma hadn't had an easy story either, but they belonged together. How could this Emma have lived in the same town as her and not seen that? The Queen huffed, "Maybe in your realm, but here, you're in love with me as much as I'm in love with you, and-" Regina hesitated, already dreading the pain the blonde's response might cause. With a small, courage-gathering breath, she continued, "And I love you with every bit of my heart. As shattered and as black as it was, I still managed to fall for you. Now my heart is whole, beating red, and filled with love for so many people, but you're the only one that holds it." Regina held her breath as she waited for the blonde to argue with her, but the Sheriff just looked lost. Unsure of what to say next, the Mayor cast a helpless glance at Snow, who took a tentative step forward.

"Emma," she gently coaxed. Her daughter gave her a pleading look, silently asking if it was true, because whether they were from the same realm or not, Emma trusted her mother to tell her the truth. Snow held her gaze and nodded, "Emma, honey, you and Regina are married. I know you experienced something different, but I watched you and Regina fall in love. I was there when you stopped fighting with each other and started fighting for each other. In the Enchanted Forest I never would have guessed that Regina would end up married to my daughter, but after all the pain you two have been through, when you finally got together, you both just seemed so happy. You don't try to run anymore, and that child at the station, she's… well she's yours." Snow's voice lost some of her confidence, "At least, she's yours in this realm's version of you or something. I'm still a little unclear on how this all works." Snow threw a questioning look at Regina.

Regaining some of her composure, Regina took the que and in clipped tones explained, "The Emma in this room is from another realm, and crossing realms where another version of you is isn't unheard of, but something's clearly different here. Emma wouldn't be gone this long without checking in with one of us. So, either she's in serious danger, or our Emma isn't in Storybrooke, at least, in this Storybrooke."

"Where else would she be?" David demanded.

"My Storybrooke," Emma whispered. Regina nodded.

"I think whatever made Emma come here, took our Emma over there," Regina confirmed. "It's too much of a coincidence that this Emma appeared and ours vanished at the same time."

"But what could cause that to happen? Do you think someone made it happen on purpose?" Snow asked, her voice rising slightly in pitch with worry.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Regina growled.

As the conversation began wheeling towards how to get herself and the other Emma back into their own respective places, the Sheriff tuned out. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she had married Regina in another realm, but she just needed to think for a moment. She resumed her pacing in the corner, turning the others' conversation into a low buzz in the back of her mind. If she was married to Regina, even though Hook was in this realm, that didn't change the fact that _she_ and him were true loves. Right? The other Emma loving Regina didn't mean anything. _That_ Emma had fallen for the wrong person, not her. She felt her chest constrict when she realized that if she wasn't with Hook, Hope wouldn't exist in this realm. As she dwelled in that heart-wrenching thought, an image of green eyes framed by curly, dark brown hair flashed in her mind, and she remembered what had initially caused her to jump in alarm.

Emma stopped pacing and turned to the group around her. She immediately met Regina's warm brown eyes. She hadn't noticed the darker woman watching her pace. Regina lifted an eyebrow in a silent question, but Emma ignored her. She tore her gaze from the brunette and focused on her parents. She needed more answers. In the middle of David musing whether or not they should go to Rumpelstiltskin for help, Emma interjected, "That's a great plan, but I still want to know how that child looks like both Regina and me. How can that even be possible?"

When her parents didn't answer, Emma grudgingly turned to Regina and watched as a rare sheepish look crossed the Mayor's face. Regina opened her mouth to respond but closed it. Clearing her throat and staring determinedly at the ceiling, Regina tried again, "Well, she's our biological child." Emma waited, clearly wanting more of an answer. Knowing Emma wouldn't give up, Regina reluctantly added, "We used magic to allow for the… conception."

Snow and David were both blushing and looked like they wanted to be anywhere else. But Emma wasn't finished, a memory was stirring in her head, "Wait, but you can't carry a child."

Regina really didn't want to continue the conversation but replied, "Correct, Ms. Swan."

Emma's expression was appropriate to having been clubbed over the head. "So, that means that you," she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Tossing her hair back, Regina answered, "I got you pregnant, yes."

Emma chocked out, "How?"

Regina arched an eyebrow, "Ms. Swan, you conceived Henry. I'm fairly certain you know how babies are made. We had se-,"

Snow leaped forward and half-shouted "Alright! We don't need to delve into the details." She reached out and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "Emma, I know this may be a bit shocking, but I promise you, you're happy here."

Emma was in denial more than shock and wanted to steer the conversation away from herself. "I don't get it. How are you okay with me being married to Regina? She tried to kill you a dozen times."

Snow took a deep breath, looked back at Regina, and said, "Emma, before you two even started dating, I could tell that Regina was changing. She and I were forming a kind of tentative understanding of each other. Plus, no matter how many times she hurt us, in the end, I always hoped that the Regina that saved me would come back." Snow turned to face her daughter again. "She has done terrible things, but terrible things have been done to her. That's not an excuse for what's happened, but she's worked _so_ hard to be better, to be a true hero. She's fought monsters, her own family, and even herself, all for the people she loves. I wanted her to be happy. And you two do that for each other, you're both part of the other's happy ending."

Emma chose to ignore her mother's last statement and focus on the ex-Evil Queen portion. "I know she's good now but still. I couldn't fall for Regina. It's just not possible" the Savior insisted.

"Oh, give it up, Sherriff," Regina snapped. She knew the blonde woman in front of her wasn't her Emma, but from this realm or not, those words hurt coming from what looked like her wife's mouth. Her hurt mingled with the pain of Emma's disappearance, and suddenly Regina's patience was very thin. "I know this may be odd after being with the pirate for so long, but Hook told me that your path mirrored this realm until Zelena's time portal. If that's true, then I know for a fact that you've thought about me before. You have thought about me romantically, and you know damn well there've been some moments where you thought there could be something between us."

Emma was surprised at the confidence in the Queen's tone. They'd never talked about the tension between them. "How do you know I've ever-,"

Regina smirked, taking the blonde's lack of denial as further confirmation. "You've ever what? Thought about us?" Regina's left eyebrow arched and then quickly settled back in place. "You've thought, in detail, about what my lips would taste like, what it would be like to wake up next to me in bed, and," Regina purred, "wonder what _your_ name would sound like coming from _my_ lips in the middle of a _very_ passionate embrace, _Emma_."

Snow and David looked mortified, but this time Emma was the one who turned a brilliant shade of red. The sheriff was gaping like a fish out of water, as she spluttered, "I don't- I've no idea- I've never-"

Still with her smug smile, Regina responded in victory, "We've been together for quite a while, Sherriff. You've had plenty of time to tell me all about the depraved thoughts you had about me, before we even started dating." Her smile turned absolutely wicked as she added, "Like how much you love the way I look in the Evil Queen's leather pants."

"How the hell did I miss the signs that Emma was interested in Regina for so long." David whispered to Snow. Snow didn't answer, she was still trying to repress the new knowledge that her daughter apparently had a sexual affinity for leather.

Emma was floundering for anything to say, but she was at a complete loss of words. Regina chuckled at the sight, but when she shifted her gaze to Snow and David, she felt soft tendrils of guilt sneak over her. She had meant to shock Emma, not scar her in-laws. She mentally shook her head, shaking off most of her smugness at the look on Emma's face. Antagonizing the blonde would not help Regina find _her_ Emma any faster, if anything, it would slow her down. With a more neutral tone, the mayor tried to gloss over the sticky moment she had created, "I believe I've reaffirmed that there has in fact been a level of attraction between us; so now, we can refocus on returning you to your proper place." The Charming clan seemed to be taking in Regina's words, even if they weren't responding, so she continued, "As it's already fairly late, I suggest that tomorrow, Emma and I begin exploring solutions, and," Regina glanced at Snow and David, "if you two wouldn't mind, you could watch Eva. It'll be easier to get Emma back if I don't have to divert my attention between a four-year old and the problem at hand."

David nodded, "Of course Snow and I will watch her."

Finally able to form a sentence, Emma's attention snapped to the Mayor, "Eva, is that the kid's name?"

Regina's eyes narrowed, in a silent warning to the Sheriff to choose her words carefully. "Yes, her name is Eva."

The Sheriff turned to Snow, "Wasn't that your mother's name… the one who Regina's mother kind of hated?"

Snow nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Yes, it was. Regina is the one who picked it."

Emma lifted her eyebrows at the Mayor. Regina rolled her eyes, "I wanted our daughter to always have a reminder that even when she has made mistakes, like her great-grandmother did, she can still be a hero. Queen Eva was loved by almost everyone, because even though she sold my mother out, she was a good queen. Eva's middle name is Cora for similar reasons. My mother didn't change until the moment she died and even then, changed more after death. A reminder that it's never too late to turn away from the darkness."

Emma was a little surprised at the explanation. Hope had a symbolic name too, but it was a bit more self-explanatory. Finally shrugging, Emma said, "It's a pretty name."

The Savior still had more questions, in general and about her other-realm daughter, but she was exhausted, and like Regina had said, it was late. So instead of asking one of the many questions buzzing in her head, Emma just asked, "So, when and where should I meet you tomorrow?"

Regina appraised the Sheriff for a moment, internally debating. Coming to a final decision, the Mayor calmly stated, "You'll have to stay here."

Emma instantly began to protest, "There's not a chance I'm sleeping with-"

Regina quickly cut her off, "Don't jump to conclusions Ms. Swan. You can stay in the guest room, but you will need to stay here for Eva's sake. You've already made her aware of the fact that somethings not right. If you don't tuck her in tonight, she'll be quite upset."

Emma argued, "You said she's four! She won't notice-"

Again, Regina quickly cut in, "She's four, not senseless. She's at the age were we're the biggest part of her world, and she'll certainly notice if you're not here."

Emma was about to snap back at Regina, but Snow once again stepped in, "Emma, you won't have to share a room with Regina, and honestly, wouldn't you want our Emma to do the same for your Hope?" Emma paused for a moment but eventually nodded, won over, mostly by the fact that Snow had remembered her baby's name.

Once Emma consented, Regina's shoulders released the tension she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto. Pushing off of the arm of the couch, the Mayor said, "Now that that's settled, let's go get Eva."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Everyone! As always, I want to give a huge thank you to Ivy Quinzel for Betaing this chapter, and I hope you guys like the story so far.**

The Savior made her way up the cement path leading to 108 Mifflin Street. Regina, who had been walking beside her, just unlocked the door and was waiting for the blonde to walk past her with the little brunette bundled in her arms. Eva had been awake when they got to the station, but the second the two women had put her in the car, she fell asleep. Despite how Emma felt about her romantic relationship with Regina, the Sheriff had offered to carry Eva into her room. After the blonde shouldered passed her, Regina locked the door and led Emma up the stairs. They hadn't spoken since they'd left the station, other than Emma's offer. The awkwardness of their situation had felt like a tangible layer coating the car ride home.

Once they reached the second floor, Regina silently pushed open the door to Eva's room and flicked the lights on. Emma glanced around the bedroom. The walls were sky blue and the room was decorated with heavy wooden furniture. The Sheriff recognize the unicorn mobile Snow had originally gotten for her, dangling over a rocking chair in the corner. Settling the child on the plush twin mattress in the center of the room, Emma's eyes caught on the large framed blueprint above the headboard. She looked at Regina, "You can't seriously be building her a castle."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Of course I'm not building her a castle. It's a blue print of Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. Your mother found it amusing, and Eva liked the picture."

Emma gave the room another sweeping look before she turned to walk into the hallway. As the door clicked closed behind her, Emma asked, "Are you sure it's a good idea to have all that wooden furniture? What if she runs into something?"

Regina huffed, "Ms. Swan, you are the one who babyproofed this room, so I can assure you, its safety is up to your standards." She turned and began to walk back the way she'd come, "Follow me, I'll get you something to sleep in."

Emma nodded before following Regina down the hallway but paused in the doorway. She had been expecting the Mayor's room to be decorated in her usually elegant style but was surprised by the amount of color, decoration, and generally lived-in appearance compared to usual tidiness Emma had always associated with the Mayor. The black and white walls were hung with framed, colorful artwork, pictures were displayed on the chest of drawers against the far wall, and the red and black comforter was bunched around the foot of the bed. The Sheriff even noticed one of her own leather jackets thrown across the vanity bench. Hesitantly, Emma took a few steps into the room. She focused on the nightstands on either side of the bed. They had matching lamps, but the one farthest from the door had a book and black pair of reading glasses. The one closest to the door had an iPad, jogging armband, and earbuds. She recognized her old MP3 player in the armband.

As Emma examined what was clearly both Regina's and the other Emma's bedroom, the Mayor came striding out of the walk-in closet. The brunette lifted an eyebrow when she noticed the Sheriff standing just inside the door but didn't comment as she made her way to the dresser. Without thinking about it, Emma walked further into the room until she was standing a few feet behind Regina. She watched as the brunette opened the second drawer from the top and quickly plucked a pair of underwear from the neatly folded stacks. The brunette placed the article on top of the tank top and shorts she had already pulled from the closet. Regina turned to face the door again and seemed surprised by the blonde's suddenly close proximity. Emma's eyes were drawn just over Regina's shoulder, on a close-up picture of the two women, showing Emma smiling while Regina kissed her cheek.

The Mayor cleared her throat to regain the Sheriff's attention. She held the gathered garments out to the blonde, "These are for you. Obviously, they should all fit."

Emma took the clothes and muttered, "Thanks." The part of Emma that had kept her running for so many years told her to dart out the door, but her braver half kept her rooted to the spot, even as her feet shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, Regina," Emma began, "I- earlier- I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. In my realm, we're best friends, and I wouldn't hurt you on purpose. I just wasn't expecting our relationship to be so… different."

Regina's lips curved ever-so-slightly into a smile. "Ms. Swan, I don't think anyone could have expected today's surprises."

Emma's feet stilled, and she took in a deep breath. "I know, it's just, no matter how surprised I was, it doesn't excuse hurting you."

Regina nodded, "Apology accepted." There was still a lingering awkwardness, but the two were doing their best to ignore it. The pair stared at each other for a moment before Regina smirked and exhaled a forced breath that sounded like the ghost of a laugh.

"What?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head, "Nothing, I just can't believe you fell for the pirate."

Emma rolled her eyes, "He's a great person."

Regina teasingly chuckled, "Well you certainly sound enthralled by him, what a glowing list of attributes."

"Hey," Emma complained, "just because I'm not great with words, doesn't mean I don't love him."

The Mayor stared at the Sheriff for a moment, seeming to search her face for something. Finally, Regina tore her gaze away and moved passed Emma to sit on the edge of the bed, "Alright, tell me why."

Emma's eyebrows shot up on her forehead, "You want me to explain why I fell in love with my husband?"

Regina's face scrunched a bit at "husband," but answered none the less, "Yes, if you would feel comfortable. I've just been wondering how you and the pirate started…"

Emma heard the implied "instead of us" and, for once, decided to think through her next words. "I know there was an unspoken attraction between us-"

"Glad you've stopped pretending that there wasn't." Regina broke in dryly. Emma sighed and waited. Regina held her hands up, "Sorry, please continue."

"Anyway, I could feel something between us, but it was always this tension thing; and yes. Sometimes I did think about what we would be like together, but then Hook came. It was different from the tension I felt with you, but there was an attraction. He was charming and funny and easy to flirt with. I wasn't planning on actually pursuing a relationship with him, until he and I went through Zelena's time portal. He was so protective and sweet, in his own way. When we got to the ball to reunite my parents, we danced, and in that moment, everything that seemed to be wrong with the world just fell into place."

Emma's mind wandered away from the current situation as she recalled the way Hook had led her through her first waltz, at her first ball. The memory tugged a warm smile to the Savior's lips. Emma eventually realized, however, that Regina had grown unusually quiet. Looking back at the brunette, the Sheriff found the Queen staring at her with a neutral expression. Emma could only tell Regina was upset by the cemented look in her eyes. Even when Regina was angry, her eyes danced with fury. Those pools of deep brown were only emotionless when she was trying to hide pain or sadness.

"Regina?" Emma gently prompted. The Mayor blinked, and her eyes lost the glazed look.

Regina gave a small cough before asking, "You fell in love with Hook at the ball?"

"I wouldn't say that's when I fell in love with him, but it was when I noticed I could though. That's why, when Hook and I got back to Storybrooke, it was hard for me to face him, because I was scared. We weren't even dating, but I was already afraid of losing him."

Regina nodded, but Emma could feel that something had just closed inside the brunette. Not wanting the Mayor to shut down completely, Emma tried to soften her a bit, "How did you and the other Emma get together?"

Regina looked like she was deciding whether or not she wanted to answer. Before she could come to a decision though, Emma's eye caught movement by the door.

Dark curls whipped back around the corner of the doorway when Emma looked up, but she could still see four little fingers grasping the doorframe. "Regina," Emma whispered with a nod towards the door. Regina turned around in time to catch her daughter peeking into the room before she darted back out of sight.

"Eva," the Mayor called, the frostiness completely gone from her voice. The little girl poked her head back around the corner with a sniffle. The little girl shuffled her feet forward, the same way Emma did when she was nervous. Regina smiled and lifted an eyebrow at the little brunette, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Still sniffling slightly, Eva walked fully into the room and stumbled her way towards Emma. To the blonde's surprise, Eva wrapped her arms around the Sheriff's leg. Regina's amused expression never slipped, even as a large tear rolled down the girl's cheek. The Mayor was clearly accustomed to Eva's display of sadness, but Emma, experiencing it for the first time, was taken in by the crocodile tears. At least, she was until Eva whimpered, "I had a bad dream." Then Emma's superpower chirped, and she realized that was a lie.

Regina shook her head, clearly already knowing what the little girl was going to say. A poorly hidden smirk of amusement danced on the brunette's lips as she asked, "Did you really?" Eva met Regina's gaze for a split second before she buried her face against Emma's leg.

"No," the young brunette whispered, "but I wanna sleep here." Emma hadn't even known the girl four hours, but she still felt her heart squeeze when Eva turned her head slightly and gazed up at her with large, green, puppy dog eyes. By the perfect level of pleading and sadness, she imagined that Eva had used that look many times and, more often than not, gotten what she wanted.

Regina stood up and walked over to kneel next to her daughter. She reached out and ran a hand through Eva's hair. "Sweetheart, tonight I need you to be a really big girl and sleep in your own room."

Eva lifted her head but kept her arms tightly wrapped around her blonde mother's leg. "Can I _please_ stay." Regina's pained expression told Emma how much the mayor wanted to say "Yes," but instead, she shook her head, "No." Emma took in the Mayor's hardened features. It reminded her of the way Regina would look at Henry after the curse broke, when he ran to her instead of the brunette. The Sheriff realized Regina would know better than anyone that the number of times Eva ran to her parents' room at night was limited. Was that what was causing the Mayor to look so pained now?

Emma saw Regina open her mouth, likely to tell Eva that she really had to sleep in her own bed, but the blonde spoke up, interrupting the start of the Mayor's final denial. "Regina," The mayor looked up at the blonde. Emma's cheeks burned, and she looked away from the two sets of wide, hopeful eyes as she conceded. "She can take the middle." The Sheriff wasn't sure what made her say it, whether it was Eva's pleading, or the way Regina looked at Eva like she had always wanted a parent to look at her, but she knew she couldn't let the kid be turned away. Correctly assuming that if she did, it would hurt both of the brunettes.

Regina caught Emma's eye from where she still knelt with Eva and maintained eye contact with the blonde. "Are you sure?" At Emma's nod, Regina flashed the Sheriff a grateful smile, before turning to face Eva once again. "You'll go straight to sleep, right?"

Eva's face lost all traces of sadness and broke into a wide smile. "Promise."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to the fantastic Ivy Quinzel for betaing this chapter!**

Emma groaned when she woke up and was instantly blinded by sunshine streaming into her eyes. She grumbled incoherently as she rolled over and buried her face in the pillows. As Emma laid there waiting for sleep to reclaim her, she noticed something was off. Her pillows didn't smell like her usual laundry detergent. Instead, they had a faint apple and cinnamon scent… Emma flew back and flipped so she was leaning against her elbows with her back to the bed. She wasn't in her and Hook's bedroom, she was in Regina's and the other Emma's. She scrubbed her face with her hands as the memory of the night before flooded through her.

She flopped back down against the pillows and looked over to the other side of the bed. It looked slept in, but neither Regina nor Eva were in sight. Emma could feel her heart constrict in her chest. She didn't want to be in the Mayor's house. All Emma wanted was to be at home in her own bed, with Killian next to her and Hope in her arms. She closed her eyes and tried to drag up the image of the man she'd met in the street before she'd been sent through a portal. It was still a haze, but she knew that she had to remember if she ever wanted to get back to Killian and Hope. However, instead of anything becoming clearer, Emma just got more and more irritated the longer she thought about it. She groaned in frustration and sat up, determined to shower and then try again. But, before she could stand, she was distracted by the patter of feet running up the stairs, and a moment later the door flew open and Eva dashed in.

The little brunette ran straight at the bed and jumped at the last second, so instead of crashing into the side of the mattress, she crashed into Emma's torso. With a faint huff, Emma caught Eva, and despite the downtrodden mood she'd been in a moment ago, she chuckled. "You're going to be a morning person, aren't you?"

Eva looked curiously at the blonde, "What's that?"

"A morning person? It means you like mornings." Emma answered.

Eva started chattering about how much she liked the mornings, but with the door still thrown wide open, Emma began to smell bacon and something buttery. "Do I smell pancakes?" Emma whispered conspiratorially to the little brunette.

"Yeah," Eva exclaimed, "Mommy said breakfast is ready." The little girl then scrambled off of Emma and pulled on her hand. "Come on Mama."

Being around the little brunette felt natural, but it still made Emma paused every time Eva called her "Mama." After a moment of hesitation, Emma smiled at the little girl and allowed herself to be tugged from bed. However, Eva didn't pull her farther, and in the blink of an eye, Emma found herself standing in the kitchen with lilac smoke curling away from her. Stunned, the Sheriff stood stock-still as Eva released her hand and skipped over to the table. Emma's eyes met the Mayor's, who stood frozen leaning over the kitchen table. Regina recovered before Emma, and the Sheriff found herself being pushed into the living room by the Mayor.

Emma whirled towards Regina and demanded, "What the hell was that?"

"Keep your voice down!" Regina hissed. Emma watched as the Mayor threw a quick glance through the archway at Eva, who was happily pretending to feed a stuffed animal on the table. "Eva has magic."

"Yeah, I got that." Emma whisper-yelled. "A warning would have been nice though!"

The Mayor gave a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I should have warned you, but I was a bit preoccupied last night."

Ignoring the excuse, Emma demanded, "How the hell did she poof us to the kitchen? She's just a kid!"

"Some people born with magic don't need to be trained to know how to use it. Zelena called a twister that carried her to Oz when she was only a few days old." Regina explained in her calm politician's voice.

The calming affect was having little impact on Emma. "That's terrifying! What if something goes wrong? What if she hurts herself? What if the magic makes her go dark?"

Regina reached out and squeezed Emma's biceps, and at that touch, Emma realized that she had been jerking her hands around in agitation. Regina was silent until Emma met her gaze. "When the other you was pregnant, you asked me all of those questions. First of all, magic doesn't make a person do anything. All magic comes with a price, but it can be used for good. Ever since she's been able to speak, you and I have tried to engrain in her how important it is to be good and that magic should never be used out of anger. And yes, in the beginning, I was very scared that Eva would hurt herself or someone else. But we practice control every day, and she follows the rules we set about magic, like how she's only allowed to teleport when she's with one of us."

Emma's head was a raging storm fueled by anxiety for the child in the other room. Regina's brown eyes softened slightly as she saw the emotion rampaging in the blonde's green eyes. "Emma, in your realm, did you ever lose control of your powers?"

"Yeah, when the Snow Queen was trying to trap me. I freaked out, and I asked Gold to take my powers away"

"You what?" Regina asked, her voice dipping into a low and lethal tone.

"I was panicking," Emma defended, "My family was afraid of me, and I was so out of control that I accidentally hurt Henry. I just wanted my powers gone." Regina looked like she was trying very hard not to be angry, but her grip on Emma's arms had tightened considerably. Deciding that it was in her best interest to get Regina's focus off the deal she'd made with Rumpelstiltskin, the blonde redirected, "Why are you asking?"

The tactic seemed to work. At least Regina's grip loosened on Emma, and the brunette's hands slid from the Sheriff's biceps down to her hands. With a light squeeze, Regina explained, "Minus the idiotic involvement of Rumple, that's more or less what happened to you here. Magic is fueled by emotion, and what kind of emotion you use helps to determine whether your magic is dark or light. You panicked, so your magic took control. Your fear, your family's fear, made you lose control. Eva is four. If her parents are afraid of her magic, how can she learn to master it when she would undoubtably fear it herself."

"Regina, what if she goes dark. Yeah, magic can't make a person do one thing or another, but it seems to make it a lot harder to turn back."

"Everyone has the potential to go dark, even without magic, but…" Regina cast another look into the kitchen, "that's why her name is so important. If that ever happened, she would have a reminder that she could turn back."

Emma wasn't convinced, but there was no good in worrying. With a half-hearted chuckle, the Sheriff tried to joke, "You think she'd already know that, considering one of her mother's is the _Ex_ -Evil Queen."

The Mayor rolled her eyes, "Amusing, Sheriff." The two stared at each other for a few moments until Emma broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"Uh, Regina?"

"Yes?"

"You can let go of me now."

Emma smirked at the brunette's surprised look, as she seemed to realize that she was rubbing small circles on the back of the Sheriff's hand. Quickly releasing the hands she'd held captive, Regina took a step towards the kitchen, and stuttered, "Yes well, breakfast is on the table, so we should probably…" The Mayor trailed off as she pointed towards the kitchen. Emma smiled and gestured for the brunette to lead the way.

Breakfast with the two brunettes was an odd affair for Emma. She and Regina were friends, and they shared a son, but it was still very strange to see the Mayor so relaxed. She had never seen Regina in pajamas before last night, and not that she'd spent a lot of thought on it, but she'd always imagined Regina would get dressed the second she stepped out of bed.

When they had all finished eating, Emma watched as Regina stood and collected plates. Eva wanted to help but Regina shook her head and leaned down with a smirk and a scrunched nose, Eva leaned up and pressed her nose against her brunette mother's, making the same face. The Mayor laughed and kissed the little girl on top of her head, telling her to go start getting ready.

~SQ~

An hour after breakfast, the Sheriff found herself walking out of Granny's with the Mayor by her side. The pair had just dropped off Eva with Emma's parents, who were enjoying a late morning coffee.

Emma was filling Regina in on the scattered details she could remember of how she'd been sent to this realm, when a leather clad pirate turned the corner and almost ran into them.

"Killian," Emma breathed.

Hook's blue eyes flicked from the Mayor to the Sheriff in surprise. He nodded to the two women, "Regina, Swan."

Emma could feel the tension rolling off the woman beside her, but she couldn't seem to focus on it with Killian in front of her. After a few awkward, silent moments, Hook rolled back on his heels and said, "Well, I'd better be off then." Carefully stepping around the women, Hook resumed his path towards Granny's. Emma's eyes lingered on the pirate until he disappeared into the diner. She was mentally chanting a reminder that that Hook wasn't hers, but she would get to hers soon. Turning back around, Emma looked at Regina to see if she was ready to continue their walk, but the Mayor was glaring at the sidewalk.

The Sheriff leaned over and lightly nudged the brunette. Regina jerked away from the contact and began striding down the sidewalk without a word. Emma jogged to keep up, but Regina didn't acknowledge her. "Regina," Emma puffed, surprised at how fast the brunette could walk in heels.

The Mayor growled, "What, Ms. Swan?"

"Why are you angry?"

"I am not angry."

Emma gave a sweeping look over the Mayor's agitated stride and clenched fists slight amusement lighting her eyes. "Could fool me."

Regina rolled her eyes at the sheriff's response, "I'm surprised you're able to notice anything other than the pirate."

Returning to her serious façade, Emma scowled as she tried to read Regina's expression, "Oh, so Hook…"

Regina remained silent, and Emma took that as confirmation. As gently as she could while speed walking, the Sheriff reminded, "Regina, _I_ didn't marry you."

"I'm painfully aware of that, Ms. Swan."

"Then why are you snapping at me? I get that it sucks, but I'm not your Emma."

Regina stopped walking but wouldn't look at the Sheriff. "How did you do it?"

Surprised at the sudden stop, Emma shot passed the Mayor a few steps. Turning to face her, the blonde asked, "How did I do what?"

"When the Ice Queen came, you lost control of your powers, because you let yourself be ruled by the fear of your magic. You went to Gold to take your powers, but he didn't. How did you remaster yourself?" Regina clarified, steel edging her voice.

Further surprised by the direction of the conversation, Emma explained, "Um, Elsa found me, before my powers got taken. She told me I had to accept myself, to not fear the darkness. I did, and we got my magic to calm down. Why?"

Regina's eyes grudgingly met the Savior's. "Elsa found you?"

"Yeah, remember? She was the one who made the evil snowman thing."

The Mayor sighed, "I know who Elsa is."

"Oh," Emma rocked back on her heels for a moment, "So why-"

The brunette swiftly cut across the blonde, "It doesn't matter Ms. Swan. Let's just get to my vault. The sooner you're back in your Storybrooke, the sooner I get my wife back." Without waiting for a response, Regina brushed passed Emma, and Emma was left with no other option but to follow after her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Whoo, two chapters in one week, exciting stuff. Thank you to Ivy Quinzel for Betaing this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it : )**

By the end of Emma's first day in Storybrooke, every member of the small town had heard that their Emma, Regina's Emma, had been switched out with one from another realm. By the end of the second week, Emma was getting very tired of the shocked looks when people found out that, in her realm, she was with Hook instead of Regina. Either Regina and her Emma really were an amazing couple, or they'd been together for so long that people couldn't even fathom the idea that Emma would _want_ to be with anyone other than Regina, even in another dimension. Her frustration wasn't lessened by the fact that she hadn't been able to see Henry the entire time she'd been there. In this realm he was studying English at Boston University, and it had been decided that they wouldn't tell Henry about Emma until after his midterms, which he wouldn't be done with for another two weeks.

As hard as it was to deal with the town though, it was even harder to live with Regina. After they'd run into Hook on the way to the vault, Emma was afraid the Mayor would be upset with her for a while. But once they'd reached the vault, Regina had calmed down and acted like it didn't even happen. The calm only lasted for a few days though. Emma had gotten away with sleeping in the guest room for one night, but on the next, Eva had woken up and run to her parents' room, only to find her blonde mother missing. Regina had smoothed it over, and Emma had ended up spending the rest of the night next to the two brunettes. Later, the Mayor and the Sheriff had decided that it would be in Eva's best interest for them to sleep in the same room until Emma went back to her own realm.

After all, they were two grown adults. They could handle sharing a bed without too much fuss, at least they did for a few days. Up until Emma's first Sunday at the Swan-Mills household, she would wake up to an empty bed and the sounds of Regina making breakfast. But the Mayor never set her alarm for Sunday mornings. So, instead of the normally empty other half of the bed, Emma woke up to the Mayor pressed against her side. Regina had an arm wrapped around Emma's waist, a leg curled across the Sheriff's thighs, and her head resting on the blonde's shoulder. The Sheriff even had one of her arms trapped under the Mayor, and her hand was resting on the brunette's side. The position wasn't uncomfortable, but the Sheriff was surprised at how normal it felt to have Regina's warm weight against her. Still, Emma didn't know how the Mayor would react to waking up in this position, so she tried to slowly untangle herself from the brunette. Unfortunately, Emma had never been very good at being sly and accidentally jostled the sleeping Mayor. Regina huffed and pulled Emma in tighter. Not fully awake, Regina mumbled, "It's too early. Go back to sleep." Then she nuzzled closer to Emma's neck.

Regina's sleepy voice was even huskier than her normal voice, and Emma was desperately trying to ignore the way her body reacted to that. However, it became a bit more difficult to ignore when Regina contentedly hummed against Emma's throat. Unsure of what to do, but now too awake to even hope to fall asleep, Emma cleared her throat, "Regina, I was going to go for a run."

Emma's tank top had ridden up in the night, and she felt the hand on her torso start to draw lazy circles against her exposed hipbone. Emma shivered as she heard the Mayor sleepily offer, "Or, you could stay in bed, and let me sleep for another ten minutes." Emma felt Regina's lips brush a kiss against her pulse point and Regina's leg wrap tighter around hers. "Then I could give you a real work out."

The Sheriff tensed, which caused Regina to finally open her eyes and look at the blonde. Emma could see the exact moment Regina remembered who she was actually lying next to. The brunette scrambled away like Emma's skin had scalded her. The brunette was out of bed and standing before Emma could even blink. The Mayor stood there for a moment, shock written on every line of her body, but after a few seconds passed, Regina straightened and seemed to be trying to regain some level of composer. She cleared her throat, "My apologies Miss Swan. I…" Regina looked lost for a second as she started to step backwards, away from the bed. "I'm going to go get ready." And with that the Mayor spun and walked hastily into the bathroom, softly closing the door behind her.

That had been several awkwardly tense days ago. Eva hadn't even come into their room since Emma's second night, but the two women still slept in the same bed, as uncomfortable as it had become. The brunette would sleep as far away from the blonde as the bed would allow, and the Sheriff never again woke up to a sleeping Mayor, even on the following Sunday. They also hadn't really talk to each other since that Sunday morning, except around Eva. When they spent hours and hours alone in the same room together, in an effort to find a way to switch the Emmas back to their correct places, they would just sit quietly and try and find something useful in one of Regina's books or the books Belle sent over from the library. Which was what they were doing on week two, day five of the Sheriff's realm swap. Regina and Emma were looking through books in Regina's vault. At least, they both were until a few seconds ago, when Emma started watching Regina.

Without looking up from her book, Regina sighed, "What is it, Ms. Swan?"

Not even phased that the mayor had been able to tell that the blonde had been starring, Emma responded without missing a beat, "Regina, I don't get it. How the hell did we fall in love?" Regina rolled her eyes but otherwise didn't respond, just kept pouring over the book in front of her. Emma nudged the brunette's foot under the table. "Look, I'm in love with Hook, but I can tell that here everyone else is finding that hard to believe. Obviously, you and the other Emma had to have something for the very thought of me being with someone else to be impossible. And yeah, you and I had the tension thing, but in my world, that's all there ever was. So, I'm just wondering how that changed."

Regina's eyes flicked up to meet Emma's, considering whatever it was she saw in the blonde's eyes. Seeming to come to a decision, Regina lifted her head, and closed her book with a soft thump.

"You said that you started dating Killian after you two went through Zelena's time portal together. Is that correct?" Regina asked, making the effort to keep her tone light even though she looked like the words caused her pain. Emma nodded.

Regina clasped her hands in her lap. "Well in this world, you never went through a time portal with Hook; you went with me."

Emma's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "How would that make us fall in love?"

Regina looked slightly annoyed. "It didn't _make_ us fall in love. We didn't even start dating till a few months after that, it just… there was a foundation for our relationship, before we ever went through the portal."

Emma sat up straighter in her chair, "Yeah, but it was physical."

Regina smoothed her hair back and then returned her hands to her lap, "No, I suppose you wouldn't recognize what you were feeling at the time."

"Regina you were the Evil Queen. I didn't have feelings for you." Regina stilled at Emma's words, and the Sheriff noticed the cemented look briefly slip over the Mayor's eyes as she hid whatever emotion she didn't want Emma to see.

Seeming to force herself, Regina met Emma's gaze. "When you first arrived in Storybrooke, I was the Evil Queen, yes. But I was a changed person before we went through the portal. I had also registered that I may have feelings for you a few weeks before then. When Hook came over after a magic lesson, and he told us about Ariel being reunited with Eric. You used your magic to find them in a mirror, do you remember?"

"Yes, I also remember flirting with Hook."

Regina was silent for several seconds, like she was trying very hard not to snap at Emma. The brunette took a deep breath and conceded, "Yes, you were flirting with Hook, and it bothered me. At first, I couldn't tell why, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my irritation grew from my interest in you."

Emma's face broke in satisfaction at the realization of a single detail, she thought would break the story Regina had been concocting, "But, you started dating Robin around that time."

Regina nodded, looking away from Emma as her eyes glazed, drawn to memories of the past, "I did, and I was quickly on my way to falling in love with him. Do you remember what you felt about it at that time?"

"No, I was too focused on how to overthrow Zelena."

Regina snapped back into reality at the Sheriff's response and rolled her eyes. "We were all focused on Zelena, Ms. Swan. That doesn't mean she was the sole occupant of our thoughts."

Emma shrugged, "Alright, what's your point."

Regina sighed, "There was a day I came over when we were planning how to defeat Zelena. Hook was running late, do you remember?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember me walking in?"

Emma thought for a moment, "You were wearing a red dress, and you came in smiling."

Regina wore a small, satisfied smirk as she asked, "You remember what I was wearing?"

Emma shrugged, "So?"

"So, Ms. Swan, after we were engaged, you told me that that was the first moment you realized you might have feelings for me. There had been some charged moments, but that was the first time you were jealous, where you realized that even some small part of you wanted me to be yours."

Emma was staring hard at Regina, thinking. Slowly, she said, "No, I was protective, because you're my friend and we share a son."

Regina stared back at Emma, looking like she was searching for something. She slowly said, "That's what _you_ chalked your emotions up as. Because I started dating Robin and you started dating Hook, we never opened the door between us."

"You were in love with Robin before the time portal opened."

Regina looked at the ground, unable to hold Emma's gaze any longer, "I wasn't in love yet." Emma waited, but Regina seemed to be stuck.

Emma gently prompted, "Regina, I thought Tink showed you Robin would be your true love."

Regina finally looked back up at Emma, "I was falling, hard, and I was- I was very happy. _But_ it takes most of us more than a few weeks to fall in love."

Trying to keep herself calm, Emma asked, "So what, you and I are each other's true love? You're saying you're better for me than Hook, and I'm more meant for you than Robin?"

Emma thought she saw pain flash in Regina's eyes, but she blinked, and it was gone. The Mayor kept her expression neutral as she thought of how to answer. The brunette began, "Robin was alive at the same time as Daniel. I was in love with Daniel, and Tink told me I could have been in love with Robin. If I had met them at the same time, which would I have chosen?" Emma's brow furrowed, unable to decide.

Knowing she wouldn't get a response, Regina continued, "I'd like to say Daniel, but the truth is I don't know what would have happened if I'd met them at the same time. I had the potential to be with either of them. So, no, I'm not saying I'm the one you were always destined to be with. In your world, you and Hook bonded and fell in love. I apparently fell completely in love with Robin. From what I can tell, our paths in your world were similar to the ones here, but due to some differences in key events, we never opened ourselves up to falling in love with each other. But here, we had those chances, and we chose each other. I don't know if we're more meant to be together, if our love is truer. I just know that in this realm, I love you with everything I have, and you-" Regina hesitated, "the you in this realm, feel the same about me."

Regina looked back down at the book in front of her, trying to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. Emma gave her a moment, aware of her tears. She leaned forward, stretching her arm across Regina's side of the table. "Regina, tell me what happened when we went through the portal. Please."

Regina swiped her hands under her eyes and responded "When we went back in time, it was easier for you to see that I was no longer the Evil Queen, when you could see the actual Evil Queen right in front of you. And, maybe most importantly, I was the one that brought Marion back. Well, I brought Zelena back, but that's beside the point."

"Wait, you brought her back?"

"Yes, and when we came through, when Robin went back to his wife, you stood next me. You helped me get through it."

Emma blinked and thought back to the night she brought Marion to Granny's. The Sheriff clarified, "We fell in love, because I stopped seeing you as the Evil Queen?" When the Mayor nodded, Emma felt waves of guilt wash over her. "When I came back with Marion, you were pissed and said that I should have let Marion die, that maybe she deserved it."

Regina looked unsurprised, "I'm sure I would have been very upset if you had brought Marion back. And, I'm sure I did remind you of the Evil Queen when I said that."

Emma felt ashamed as she added, "After you said that maybe Marion had deserved to die, I threw it in your face that you- the Evil Queen," Emma quickly corrected, "had been the one to sentence her to death."

"I'm sure I didn't take that very well either."

After a few quiet moments of both women reflecting, Emma softly asked, "So, are you thinking I just fell in love with whoever I went through the time portal with."

"I can't say that definitively, but it seems it was a pivotal point."

Emma took a moment to process before saying, "I really don't like the idea that who I fell in love with was based off one moment."

"I don't either," Regina whispered. "But," she amended in a stronger voice, "I don't think it was. We had an entire relationship built before the time portal, and you also had whatever you had with Hook. Both paths were open, the time portal was just the deciding moment. You couldn't teeter in between the pirate and myself forever."

Emma chuckled, "I can't believe I fell for Captain Hook." The Sheriff noticed the Mayor's shoulders stiffen slightly and she added, "and I really can't believe that the other person I could have fallen for was the former Evil Queen."

Regina seemed to relax more but still rolled her eyes. "Well, we both seem to fit your type, Ms. Swan."

"My type?"

"Yes, the qualities in a person you're most often-"

Emma cut across the Mayor, "I know what a type is." The brunette shot the blonde a then-why-do-you-seem-confused look and the Sheriff clarified, "I don't have a type."

Regina arched an eyebrow, "Dark past, parental issues, dangerous reputation, leather apparel-"

"I don't have that big a thing for leather," Emma interrupted, torn between amusement and irritation.

"Perhaps, Ms. Swan," Regina mused. "But you certainly have a weakness for reformed villains."

Emma flushed a light pink and argued, "I do not."

The Mayor smirked as she stood and carried her book over to the shelves lining the walls. Emma's eyes followed the brunette as she returned the hardback to its proper place. Regina chuckled, "You most certainly do, Savior." The Mayor ran a finger along some of the other volumes, searching for a promising title, before she continued, "I know you have a taste for playing with fire as certainly as I know when you're staring at my ass, Ms. Swan." The Mayor glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow, and Emma quickly ducked her head back over her book, a full blush blossoming on her cheeks. The Mayor's lips pulled into a real smile, and Emma knew Regina had caught her doing just that.

The Mayor selected another book and reclaimed her seat at the table, opening to the first page of yet another dusty volume. The Sheriff let her eyes drift back to her own book for a few seconds before turning to the older woman again. "Regina?"

The Mayor's eyes stayed trained on the book as she answered, "Yes, Ms. Swan?"

Emma hesitated but asked, "Did you- were you always able to tell?"

Knowing exactly what she was referring to, Regina turned a page with an evil smirk. "Yes Ms. Swan, I can and have always been able to tell when your eyes dip below my waist."

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed at the brunette. "Then when was the fir-"

"When Henry brought you to Storybrooke, right after I turned to lead you inside for a glass of cider."

"Damn," Emma whispered. Regina really had always known.

Regina chuckled again, "I told you, dear. The foundation was always there."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to the amazing Ivy Quinzel for betaing this chapter!**

"I am so _sick_ of looking through all these books," Emma groaned. She slammed her book shut and tossed it across the table. Regina easily plucked it from the air to keep it from crashing onto the floor. Emma sighed, but still couldn't help being impressed. "It kind of ruins the point of throwing things when you catch them before they fall," the Sheriff grumbled.

Regina smirked, "It ruins the point of having books if you destroy them before you've read them."

Emma rolled her eyes and stood up. She started pacing around the library, winding in and out of the shelves "I'm tired of being in here."

"I know," Regina sighed. "But we've done tracking spells, we've looked all over town for whoever sent you here, and I've already used a dream catcher to try and figure out how he sent you here in the first place." Emma growled her displeasure at the reminder. She had been sure that if they pulled her memories with a dream catcher, they would have come out clearly like all the other memories it had caught. But the memory was just as fuzzy on the dream catcher as it was to her. "All we have left to do is try and find something useful in these books."

"Henry would have come up with some operation and new ideas to try," the Sheriff softly grumbled. Of course, Regina heard her. Of course, the brunette would see through to the other part of what was bothering her.

"Henry's coming home tomorrow."

"He was supposed to be home last month." Emma whined. She had been very miffed that Henry had opted to go to his girlfriend's place for Thanksgiving break instead of coming home. He still didn't know about what had happened to his blonde mother since he hadn't been back to Storybrooke yet, and neither Emma nor Regina thought it was a good idea to tell him over the phone.

"Yes, but his winter break starts tomorrow, and he would have already told us if he changed his plans." Regina patiently soothed.

The Sheriff just kept pacing around. The Mayor's eyes trailed after the blonde, a small smile on her lips.

"Go on, Sheriff. You're useless when you're like this."

"What?" the blonde asked, not really paying attention.

The Mayor stood up and placed herself in Emma's path, forcing the Sheriff to stop pacing. "We've been at this for too many days in a row, and you need a break."

Emma blinked at Regina before answering, "I'm not going to leave you to sort through all this by yourself. Besides, we just took last weekend off."

"Just take the day off, Ms. Swan. We've been searching for three months, and you'll be more helpful with a clear head. If you stay, you'll keep circling the shelves and distracting me at every opportunity."

Emma knew Regina was right, but she didn't want to leave the brunette to work by herself. "You should take a break too."

"Mi-"

"No, really Regina, we've both been going at this for so long that we need to step away, just for a moment. We're both going stir crazy, you're just better at hiding it." The Mayor held Emma's gaze, considering.

Regina nodded, "Alright."

The Sheriff grinned, "Awesome, let's go get Eva." Regina smiled in return and motioned for the blonde to stand next to her, so she could teleport them.

Emma stepped up beside the brunette and instantly felt a spark of electricity hum between them. The Sheriff wasn't sure when it had returned. She hadn't felt it in years. But the second the two women got close to each other, some invisible pull tugged at them. Emma would understand if it was just Regina's breath that hitched and pupils that dilated, after all, Emma was the woman she married in another life. What Emma couldn't comprehend was why she had the same response, why, after years of being dormant, she would again feel that crackling energy between her and Regina.

The Sheriff's love for Hook hadn't diminished in the slightest, and if the opportunity arose, she wouldn't hesitate to go back to him. There was just something natural about being around the Mayor so much. The blonde hadn't realized how much she'd missed Regina since the other woman had become Queen of the united realms. As guilty as it made Emma feel, a part of her was enjoying the excuse to be locked away with the Mayor for hours on end every day. However, what made Emma feel the guiltiest was the shift she had noticed in the spark between her and Regina. The Sheriff remembered it being overtly sexual. She didn't remember it also being a gentle pull that had her fighting the urge to wrap her arms around the brunette and just hold her.

With thoughts about the Mayor still whirling in the Savior's mind, purple smoke engulfed the pair, and they reappeared on the porch of the Charmings' farmhouse. Regina took a step towards the door, away from Emma. On instinct, the Sheriff's arm shot out, blocking the Mayor from moving away from her and lightly brushing the brunette's waist. Regina looked up at Emma, bemused. "Is something wrong, dear?" Regina asked, lightly placing her hand over Emma's, which was dangerously close to grasping the Mayor's hip. The touch sent a jolt through the Sheriff's arm, but Regina seemed unaffected.

 _Dammit, is it actually affecting me more?_ Emma cast a searching look over the Mayor's face. She wasn't sure what she wanted to find, but the only thing she saw was confusion mixed with increasing concern in the warm brown eyes in front of her. Finally forcing her arm to drop, Emma took a step back, and mumbled, "Nothing." The Mayor stared at her for a few moments longer, but Emma wouldn't look at her.

Regina didn't push, but she squeezed the Sheriff's hand before she leaned forward to knock on the door. Emma mentally shook herself as she heard running feet coming from inside the house, and a few seconds later the door opened to reveal a ten-year-old boy with sandy brown hair. The kid's eyes lit up, and his face slipped into a happy grin. "Auntie Gina, you're back!" He rushed forward and hugged the brunette.

"I'm here too." Emma muttered, half-jokingly. She had been unsurprised to find that her brother had just as big of a crush on Regina in this realm as he did in hers. Of course, neither Regina nor Neal heard the blonde, but Neal did throw his sister a smile before he led the two women inside. The Sheriff rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her.

There was a high-pitched squeal as Emma faced the kitchen, and she saw Snow helping Eva get down from the counter, who ran straight at her blonde mother as soon as her feet touched the ground. Emma chuckled and crouched to swoop the little brunette into her arms. Eva giggled as Emma lifted her into the air, a large grin splashed across her face. The blonde's heart pounded in her ears as she heard a rich, throaty chuckle beside her. Her heart seemed to skip a beat when Regina leaned in close to kiss Eva's nose. The older brunette's delicious scent washed across Emma's face, and she had to fight her instinct to breathe it in deeply. Luckily, the blonde's attention was redirected when Regina asked, "Are you alright, Snow?"

Emma turned and saw her mother's eyes flickering between herself and Regina. Blinking, Snow cleared her throat, "Oh, um, I'm fine." She blinked and smiled, before continuing, "Ashley brought Eva by school to help me clear out my classroom for break. We actually just got home a few minutes ago. We weren't expecting you back so early."

"We decided to call it for the day. I was going insane." Emma supplied.

Snow smiled, "Good, you two deserve a break. What are you planning to do for the day?"

Regina looked up from Neal, who took the opportunity to run and get the new video game he'd been telling the Mayor about. Regina chuckled as the kid dashed into his room and answered, "I need to go grocery shopping before Henry gets home tomorrow, and then-"

The Mayor was interrupted by Eva reaching for her and pleading, "Can I come?"

Regina accepted the child and balanced her on her hip. "Of course you can."

Snow smiled at the pair, before turning to her daughter. "What about you, Emma? What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Emma lifted her eyebrows and pointed at Regina. "Grocery shopping," she shrugged. The Sheriff was confused by the strange looks her mother and the Mayor were giving her. "What?"

Regina quickly schooled her expression. "Nothing, I was just assuming, given that you haven't really had a day to yourself since you've been here, you may want to do something more exciting."

"Oh…" Emma hadn't even thought about going out by herself or even calling Ruby to do something. When Regina had agreed they'd both take the day off, she had assumed they'd still spend it together. The first thing she felt was rejection, quickly followed by guilt. It didn't matter if Regina was planning on spending the day with her. She hadn't talked to Hook in two and a half weeks, and that should have been were her thoughts first went. It just hurt to be around him, when he wasn't hers.

Luckily, before Emma could travel too far into that hornets' nest of thinking, Regina had shifted Eva to her other hip and tucked a blonde lock behind Emma's ear. "It has been a while since we've gone shopping together, Miss Swan. If you wouldn't mind a bit of a domestic day… I've missed it."

Emma ducked her head slightly but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as her attention slid back to the Mayor. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind."

 **~SQ~**

Regina was biting back a smile at the Savior's stubborn attempts to unlock the front door without setting down any of the numerous bags she'd grabbed from the back of Regina's car. Domestic though it had been, the trip to the grocery store had been fun in Emma's opinion. The Sheriff had spent most of it slipping junk food into the cart when she thought Regina wasn't looking, only to find that most of the contraband was missing when they got to the checkout line. The Mayor had a perfectly innocent expression on her face, but Eva was giggling. The blonde also caught the sly wink Regina threw her daughter when Emma was putting groceries on the counter. The Sheriff had rolled her eyes and thrown some candy bars onto the heap of food for good measure.

Emma growled when she dropped the keys, and even though she couldn't hear it, she could feel Regina silently laughing behind her. She turned to snap at the brunette but was caught off guard by the click of the lock as Regina waved her hand. The Sheriff closed her eyes and sighed. "You could have done that the whole time, couldn't you?"

Regina laughed, "Of course, dear."

"But that wouldn't have been as satisfying." Emma deadpanned, as she and Eva followed the Mayor into the kitchen.

Regina smirked as she set her bags on the counter, "Not even close, Miss Swan."

"Miss Swan? That can't be good, Ma."

Both women spun towards the doorway at the sound of the male voice, but it was Eva that cried, "Henry!" The little brunette ran at her brother, and Henry easily swung her up into his arms.

Henry grinned at his little sister and greeted, "Hey, E."

The shock of Henry coming home early finally wore off, and Emma happily tugged Henry and Eva into a tight hug. She didn't release him until he made a strangled noise and complained about not being able to breathe. Emma broke away laughing, and passed her son along to Regina, who place a kiss on his cheek before pulling him in for a hug of her own.

Regina finally pulled back from Henry and Eva with a wide smile. "I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow."

"I finished packing early and wanted to beat the traffic. Plus, I really want a grilled cheese from Granny's." Henry lifted his eyebrows into a hopeful expression, and Regina chuckled.

The Mayor placed her hands on Henry's shoulders and cast a look at Emma. The Sheriff knew what it meant. They needed to tell the kid before he went into town. Emma nodded her head towards the dining room and sighed, "We've gotta talk, kid."

 **~SQ~**

"That went well." Emma mumbled, closing the door to her and Regina's room.

Regina's soft laugh carried from the walk-in closet. "It did, yet you sound disappointed, Sheriff."

Emma rolled her eyes, even though Regina couldn't see it. The blonde _had_ been disappointed. Apart from being irritated that they took so long to tell him, Henry had taken the news that his mother was in another dimension surprisingly well. Sure, it wasn't the first time that had happened, and Henry had said that he would help switch them back. But she had still expected the kid to have a bigger reaction to being next to his mother who wasn't really his mother.

After they explained everything and Henry asked a few questions, the family actually went to dinner and came back to have a movie night, like there was nothing strange going on. And, damn her for it, but the Sheriff had enjoyed herself. It didn't feel like she was sitting next to someone else's family or even a different version of her son. He looked and acted exactly like she would have expected her Henry to act. Part of her had assumed that when Henry came back, it would finally click that there was something wrong with being in the mansion with Regina and Eva. Like he would wake her up from this fantasy and help her realize that her destined place really was with Killian. But all she realized was that it felt way too normal to be wedged into a booth next to Regina with Henry and Eva across from them.

The Mayor's soft footfalls interrupted Emma's thoughts, and she turned around to face the brunette. Regina stopped right in front of Emma, and looked into her eyes as she reassured, "We are going to get you back to your realm. Henry never seems to run out of ideas, and you and I have always been an unstoppable duo." Regina ran a comforting hand down Emma's arm and squeezed her hand, "We'll figure it out."

Emma nodded but wouldn't meet the Mayor's gaze. The brunette seemed to sense that the Sheriff didn't want to talk about it, at least she didn't press her to talk. Instead, Regina nudged her towards the chest of clothes to get pajamas. "Hurry up and change, Sheriff. We've got an early start tomorrow."

 **~SQ~**

Emma woke up feeling pleasantly warm. Humming in contentment, she attempted to bury her face into the pillow under her chin, until she realized it wasn't a pillow. She blinked her eyes open and could see strands of dark brown hair and noticed that she was no longer on her side of the bed. She was on Regina's side and so was Regina. Taking quick stock of her body, Emma noted that she was laying on her side, her legs were tangled with the brunette's, and she had an arm snuggly wrapped around Regina's waist. While she was sleeping, the Sheriff had crossed to the Mayor's side of the bed and trapped the woman against her side. Remembering the last time they'd woken up in a similar position, Emma started to panic. She didn't want Regina to wake up pinned against her, afraid that the brunette would recede into her shell like she had the first time. But she couldn't untangle herself, or she'd wake up the Mayor like she had a few months ago.

Before the Sheriff could decide if she should chance moving or not, she felt soft circles being drawn on the arm she had around Regina's waist. "Are you awake now?" the brunette quietly asked.

Calming slightly, Emma answered, "Yeah." There was a brief pause as the Mayor continued to draw light circles on the Sheriff's upper arm. "How long have you been awake."

"A few minutes."

"You didn't freak out?"

Emma could practically hear Regina roll her eyes. "No, Miss Swan. I did not freak out."

"You also didn't try to move."

There was a slight stutter in Regina's circling before she whispered, "No, I didn't."

Emma absorbed that, not attempting to move away from the brunette. They laid like that for a few moments in comfortable silence, if not slightly charged. Emma couldn't see Regina's face, but she was really hoping that her heart wasn't the only one that was beating a little too quickly. When it became embarrassingly apparent that her heart wasn't going to settle, and that Regina could probably feel it thrumming from where the brunette was nestled against her throat, Emma decided she needed to distract herself. "So, um, what's the plan for today."

"Breakfast, of course, then the park," Regina shifted slightly in Emma's arms, and Emma tried to ignore the sensation of Regina's legs rubbing against hers. "Then we drop Eva off at a playdate, and Henry goes to a friend's house for an hour or so," the Mayor continued, "then he meets us at the vault to try some new theories, then we pick Eva up, and the Charmings come over for dinner."

"Pretty straightforward."

The brunette hummed in agreement, and said, "It would seem so, Miss Swan."

Emma bit her lip, contemplating for a moment, and then hesitantly asked, "Regina?"

"Hm?"

"It's been three months"

"It has." Regina softly agreed.

"How long are you going to keep calling me Miss Swan?"

For a moment, the only answer the Sheriff got was silence and Regina tensing against her. The Mayor was silent for so long that Emma thought she may not get a response. She had decided that she should probably change the subject when Regina finally answered, "I'm not sure… I just… it's difficult to be around you, knowing you're Emma but not _my_ Emma. It may seem strange but calling you by your name would just seem to solidify that you're not her." Regina's voice wavered slightly on the last word, and Emma pulled back slightly to look at her. The brunette's eyes were closed, but there were tears gliding down her face. Emma's heart tightened in her chest, and she ran her thumb across the Mayor's cheek to catch some of some of the tears.

"Regina," Emma murmured. Slowly, the brunette opened her eyes and met the Savior's gaze. In that moment, seeing the full force of Regina's pain in her eyes; Emma couldn't stop herself as she leaned forward and pressed her lips up to Regina's.

At first, neither of them moved, both surprised by Emma's actions, then the Sheriff's lips moved against the Mayor's, and Regina responded in turn. Regina cupped Emma's elbow to pull her closer, and Emma was pressing her hand flat against Regina's lower back with the same goal in mind. Regina's teeth tugged at Emma's lip and the blonde groaned, rolling so that she was hovering over the Mayor. _Damn, Regina can kiss._ The kiss was hot and passionate and the air around them seemed to sizzle with the energy of it, but the longer it went on, the more unease began to take over the blonde's senses. It felt wonderful, but there was something off. Regina's lips were warm, and her skin was soft, but suddenly all Emma wanted was blue eyes and scruff. Killian. She wanted Killian.

Emma broke the kiss and practically leaped out of bed. Standing across from Regina, the Sheriff ran her hands through her tangled hair. The Sheriff looked at the Mayor, her lips slightly swollen, her hair mused, and her eyes wide with confusion and residual lust. She was sexy and heartbreakingly beautiful, but she wasn't the one Emma had married.

Emma had picked Hook. "I have to get out of here."

Regina sat up as Emma dashed to the dresser to grab clothes. The blonde flew into the bathroom, and when she reemerged, she was dressed in jeans, a white tank top, and her red leather jacket. While the Sheriff was changing, the Mayor had collected herself and was sitting on the edge of the bed.

When Emma rushed out of the bathroom, Regina tried to gain her attention. "Sheriff, wait. We need to talk-"

Emma didn't even slow down, her eyes avoiding the mayor's. She slipped on her boots and was reaching for her keys when she cut Regina off. "I can't."

Emma could see the slight crack in the Mayor's mask as the brunette tried to maintain her composure, but her voice cracked slightly when she said, "Please-"

Emma hated herself for it, but she ignored her, her best friend. The Sheriff softly closed the door behind her as stepped into the hall, away from Regina.

 **~SQ~**

The Sheriff drove her beetle with no clear destination in mind. She just kept replaying the look on Regina's face as she walked out the door. The blonde had just needed to get out of the house. All the confusing feelings, the pull between them, they were even more heightened in the kiss. But all it did was remind her that Regina wasn't the one she fell in love with, Hook was. She didn't question things when she kissed him, because she was sure of him. He was hers.

Emma groaned, throwing her head against the back of her seat's headrest. Eventually, she would need to go back to the mansion. She would need to fix things with Regina. She had been the one who kissed the brunette. It hadn't been fair to throw herself at the Mayor and then run away from her. She deserved an explanation. The Sheriff sighed, "I just want Killian."

There was a sudden, blinding flash in the middle of the road, and the Sheriff jerked the steering wheel in surprise. She tried to hit the brakes, but the tree was just too close. The hood of the bug smashed into a towering pine just off to the side of the road.

Swearing, Emma clambered out of the Volkswagen and stomped to the front of the car. A quick inspection told her she wouldn't be able to pry it from the tree or even drive it any time soon. She grumbled as she turned towards the direction of the town and started walking. She started to fish through her pockets for her phone, intent on calling a tow truck, when she heard a snicker behind her.

"For being Sheriff, your defensive driving seems to be rather poor."

Emma's entire body froze. She knew that voice, even if she couldn't remember the owner's face. Slowly, the blonde turned around in the direction of her crashed car. Leaning against the driver's side door was the man that had appeared the night she was sent to this Storybrooke.

His face was unobscured, but it was still hard to focus on his features, like she was trying to watch a fuzzy tv station. Emma glared at him for several seconds before she was able to unlock her jaw enough to spit out, "Who the hell are you?"

The Sheriff could feel the smugness rolling off him as he replied, "Still not relevant to the conversation, dear."

Emma snapped as she charged to close the distance between them. Cocking her arm back, she threw a punch with the entire force of her body behind it. Unfortunately, instead of connecting with the man's gut as intended, Emma's fist connected with the door handle. "Damn it!" Emma gritted her teeth and clutched her hand to her chest.

"You need to be more careful, Sheriff. You could have broken your hand." The man rematerialized a few yards away from the car. If looks could kill, Emma would have had him sprawled lifelessly on the ground, but her angry glare simply made him chuckle.

"There's no need to be quite so wound up. I came to talk."

"I don't want to talk. I want you to send me back to my own realm." Emma snarled.

The smirking stranger tilted his head, "Why?"

"Because that's where my husband and kids are!" Emma fumed.

The man pointed at the ground and countered, "And here is where you wife and children are."

Emma shook her head, "I didn't marry Regina."

The man seemed to sober slightly, or at least didn't sound quite as amused for once, "You could have." Emma didn't respond, just continued to stare him down. However, it seemed the man wanted an answer, "Do you not agree?"

Emma rubbed her face with hands before she sighed, "Yes, I could have married Regina. I could have loved her and raised a family with her. But I didn't."

"You could have been happy here." It wasn't a question.

"I was happy in my own realm." Emma shot back.

The man shook his head. "I'm not talking about the realm with Hook before I brought you here. I mean this realm, this spouse, this family, right now. You could still be happy here."

Emma glared at him but didn't see the point in denying it. "Yes, fine. I could be happy here."

"But you want to go back?"

"Of course, I want to go back!"

The man was quiet for a moment, appraising her. "Then tell me why, Emma. If you could be happy here, why go back to Hook?"

"This isn't the life I chose…"

"You could have."

"It's not the same." Emma's frustration was spiking. "I know I could have picked Regina, but I _didn't_. What could have happened is in the past. I chose Hook. He's the one I fell in love with. He's the one I promised to spend the rest of my life with." For a split second the image of Regina sitting alone in her room flashed in her head, but she pushed it to the side. "I love him. I chose him then, and I choose him now." She pictured his face. His blue eyes, his smile, the way he looked at her. "He's home." She whispered.

After a few moments, Emma realized she hadn't gotten a response and refocused her gaze to the man in front of her. "Well?" She snapped, impatient for his reply.

He shrugged, "It's certainly interesting."

"Interesting!? You jacka-"

But before Emma could finish her insult, the man lifted his hand and said, "Safe travels, Emma." Then he snapped his fingers, and the ground vanished from under Emma. She was once again falling…


	9. Chapter 9

The morning hadn't gone well. After Emma stormed out, Regina had tried to recede into that place that allowed her to look calm and powerful, but she kept imagining Emma's face as she fled, and the pain would resurge through her, shattering her mask. By the time Eva and Henry had woken up, Regina had managed to plaster on a passable smile, good enough to fool Eva but not Henry. She'd been able to shoo Eva downstairs to watch cartoons while she made breakfast, but Henry insisted on helping her. As he chopped the bell peppers his mother placed in front of him, Henry managed to wheedle out bits of what had happened. The Mayor didn't divulge everything, like what had sent Emma running was a kiss, but she told her son that the Sheriff had needed to step out for a bit to clear her head. Regina also left out that she didn't know whether the blonde planned on coming back anytime soon. She'd know when Emma decided to meet her at the vault in a few hours or not.

As she gave Henry the need-to-know details, which weren't a lot, she was able to keep her voice level. However, even without a shaking voice, Henry seemed to guess how upset his brunette mother really was. He insisted on giving Regina some time to herself and taking Eva to the park and dropping her off at her playdate before he went to his friend's house. The Mayor eventually agreed, feeling guilty that this had happened on Henry's first full day back home, but she needed to collect herself. To collect herself, she needed quiet and the peace of mind in knowing her four-year-old would be taken care of but not about to come bursting into the room.

After her children had departed, heading for the park, Regina changed into her black dress and heals, hoping that the power ensemble would help calm her. It was effective, but not as much as she'd hoped. When she walked downstairs, she felt numb and overly sensitive at the same time. Her mask had finally slipped back into place, now that there was no one to see it, but her insides felt inverted and sickeningly hot.

She hadn't been expecting the kiss that morning. She hadn't even realized that the other realm Emma felt something for her. Yes, the Mayor had felt the usual pull for the blonde, but the woman looked and acted exactly like her wife. She thought the attraction was one sided and accepted it. She never expected that the Sheriff might reciprocate her feelings.

Even more confusing and painful than the actions taken place this morning, Regina felt like a cheater. Yes, that woman was essentially the same person as her wife, but as she'd been frequently reminded throughout the ordeal, the blonde that kissed her was _not_ her wife. And while the Mayor hadn't instigated the kiss, she'd certainly returned it. She had been hurting and waking up in the Sheriff's arms had made her miss her Emma even more than she usually did. But that didn't pardon her. She had felt that the woman wrapped around her wasn't precisely the same as her Sheriff, but it was close enough to make her cave. Regina had her happy ending with her Emma, but if she had ruined it this morning, if her Emma couldn't look at her the same, the Mayor wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

After several restless laps around the house, Regina stood in her living room, leaning against the fireplace. It wasn't cold, but she had lit a fire, finding the dancing flames comforting. She was deep in thought, trying not to succumb to the heat behind her eyes when she heard the front door slam. She felt her heart constrict. She wasn't prepared to talk to the other Emma. It hadn't even crossed her mind that the blonde would come back to the mansion so early.

Still facing the fireplace, Regina straightened her posture, tossed her hair back, and called, "Please, I just need a moment," her voice coming out a little thick due to her unshed tears. "Meet me back at my vault in an hour, and we'll keep looking, Miss Swan."

The sound of footsteps halted near the doorway. There were a few seemingly endless beats of silence and then Regina heard, "That's _Mrs._ Swan-Mills to you."

Regina whirled around so fast she nearly lost her balance. Emma was standing a few feet behind her, looking exactly as she had that morning, the only difference being a different shirt under her red leather jacket.

"Emma, is," Regina had to swallow back a sob, "is it really you?"

The blonde took a step forward, "It's me," she confirmed, taking another step. "And I really missed you." Closing the distance between them, the blonde hesitantly reached out and touched Regina's hip. With equal caution, Regina reached up to cup Emma's face. The Savior leaned into the touch and reached out with her other hand to tug on both of Regina's hips, pulling her wife flush up against her. With Emma's arms wrapped around her waist, Regina felt the tension melt out of her shoulders and breathing seemed so much easier, like a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Emma seemed to be experiencing a similar relaxation, inhaling her wife's crisp scent and leaning their foreheads together.

"I was afraid I'd lost you." Regina muttered.

Emma tilted her head and pressed a soft kiss to Regina's lips. "You'll never lose me."

The Mayor's head filled with questions, but when she looked into Emma's eyes, _her_ Emma's eyes, she found she didn't really need any immediate answers. What the brunette really needed was to be even closer to her wife.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, and her fingers knotted in the blonde woman's hair, pulling her in for another kiss. This kiss wasn't soft and reassuring like the one they'd shared a moment ago. It was slow and smoldering. Emma's hands relinquished her wife's hips to dip lower and grasp the brunette's backside. Regina retaliated by sucking the Sheriff's bottom lip between her teeth and running her tongue against it. When the blonde groaned into the kiss, the Mayor took the opportunity to slip her tongue into the Sheriff's mouth. The kiss was quickly heating up, and Emma had to tear her lips away to catch her breath. Regina ducked her head to graze her tongue along the Sheriff's pulse point. "Regina," Emma husked.

The Mayor stilled at the sound of her name. She needed to tell Emma about this morning.

Feeling the tension in her wife, the Sheriff ran her hand up and down Regina's sides. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Regina pulled back slightly, her hand knotted in Emma's shirt. The brunette drew in an unsteady breath, and began, "Emma, I have to tell you something."

Emma looked at her expectantly, but the brunette couldn't find the words to continue. The Sheriff squeezed her waist, "Gina, you can tell me anything."

Regina nodded, but kept her eyes trained on Emma's collarbones, afraid to meet her eyes. She hesitantly restarted, "This morning, just before you came back, there was another Emma. I don't know if you knew that there was another Emma here- I mean I knew that you were in another realm, but-"

Emma cut the Mayor off with a kiss. "You're rambling," the Sheriff murmured with a nervous but amused smile. She fidgeted with the edge of Regina's blazer for a moment, "You never ramble, and it's making me nervous."

Regina finally looked up, "So you know that there was another Emma here, while you were gone." At Emma's nod, Regina continued, "Well, this morning, the other Emma and I kissed." The Mayor held her breath as she waited. For once, she couldn't read her wife's face.

Finally, Emma sighed and ran a thumb across Regina's cheek. "Was it only this morning?"

"Yes," Regina whispered. "We had been sharing a bed, because when she tried sleeping in the guest room, Eva woke up in the middle of the night and was upset when the other Emma wasn't in our room. Then this morning I woke up with the other Emma's arms around me, and it reminded me of you, and I know it was wrong. But, when she kissed me this morning, I missed you and I-"

"Was it just the one kiss?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Regina couldn't understand how Emma could be so calm. "Emma, how can you-"

"Am I still the one you want?"

"Of course, you are." Regina instantly assured.

"Then we're okay… I'm okay. I trust you." Emma took a deep breath and continued, "When I was in the other realm, my first night there, I went bursting through your castle- long story- but I crashed in on the other you making-out with your boyfriend."

"I was involved with someone?" Regina asked, surprise coloring her tone.

Emma smiled at her wife, "Yes, you were _involved_ with someone, and it was a very unpleasant surprise."

A slight smirk was slowly sneaking over Regina's lips, "I take it you were jealous?"

"His broken nose would suggest so," the Sheriff dryly quipped.

"You attacked him?" There was probably more amusement in the Mayor's tone than a hero should have.

Emma's eyes widened as she defended, "I thought he was kissing my wife! It was totally justified. Even after I found out I was in the wrong realm, I was still very put out when you healed him." The blonde's expression sobered, "What really hurt though, was when you walked over to me, and I kissed the other you. I thought you were under a curse, so when I finally pulled away, I was confused as hell. You didn't kiss me back like you normally do, no curse broke, and you just looked so damn resigned and sad. I didn't know if we had ever been together in the other realm, but I could tell that whatever we'd had was already over for you. It was terrifying."

Regina wanted to assure her wife that, that was in another realm, another life, but she could sense that Emma's story wasn't finished. The Mayor settled for pressing another kiss to the Sheriff's lips, and then waited for her to continue.

"The other you and I spent a lot of time working on how to get me back, but every time we had to stop, I would go to Hook or my parents." Emma paused, and Regina felt like she was frozen. "It was too hard to be around you, especially when your boyfriend would show up. So, this morning, when we weren't scheduled to work, I was over to Hook's and the other Emma's house. I was holding Hope- that's their kid's name- and looking at pictures they had hung up. And then, suddenly, it just hit me. I could have married Hook, and we would have had a really cute kid, and my life with him would have been as quiet and peaceful as it ever gets in Storybrooke." Emma was looking slightly over the brunette's shoulder, like she could still see the happy pictures from her life with Hook.

Regina felt like her heart had dropped to the floor and shattered, but she forced herself to preserve her mayoral mask. "I see," she murmured. She loosened her grip on the blonde, but before she could let go, Emma pulled her into a bruising kiss. Despite the pain that was washing over Regina's heart in waves, she couldn't help but kiss Emma back. She kissed the blonde like she was afraid it would be the last time.

Breaking away, Emma desperately whispered, "Don't shut me out. You didn't let me finish." Regina didn't respond but held the Savior's gaze. Emma squeezed the brunette's hips before continuing, "The other realm showed me that I could have fallen for Hook, and my life with him would have been gentle and happy and easy."

That last word was not sitting well with the brunette. "Easy?"

"Wait, wait, let me finish." Emma pleaded. "You drive me insane-"

"Emma-"

"I'm not done," the Sheriff insisted, begging with her eyes for the brunette to let her continue. Regina nodded for her to go on, because even though the blonde was making her feel worse, the Mayor couldn't say no to her wife when she looked at her like that. "Regina, you've pushed and challenged me since the day I met you. I fell in love with you, and I married you. But you still push me, and tease me, and you can honestly be the most frustrating-"

"Get to the point, Swan."

"I love you." Regina had heard Emma say that to her a thousand times, but those words had never changed her emotions so quickly. Her entire being had been filled with dread, afraid that Emma was trying to tell her that she fell for Hook, but now the brunette was filled with so much hope it would have made the Evil Queen feel sick. The blonde swiped a thumb across Regina's cheek, catching the tears the Mayor hadn't realized were sliding down her face. "I could have loved Hook and been happy with him, but I didn't choose that path. _I_ picked the passionate and frustrating Queen."

Emma placed a kiss on the corner of Regina's mouth. " _My_ Queen." She kissed Regina's jaw. "I fell for the woman that occasionally makes me want to pull my hair out." She kissed Regina's nose. "I fell for the woman that protects her family with every bit of her being." She kissed Regina's scar. "I fell for the woman that loves harder than any other person I've ever met." She met Regina's gaze, and Regina felt like her heart might melt. "Regina, you drive me insane, but for better or worse, you're the one I fell in love with. There may have been other options, but _I_ want you. I want your fire, your heart, your sexy as hell voice-"

The Mayor couldn't help it anymore, and cut Emma off with a kiss, trying to convey all her love for the Sheriff within it. Regina was too wrapped up in the kiss to notice the Sheriff shifting, but suddenly the brunette's back was pressed against the wall without a breath of space between herself and the Savior. Regina wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the blonde in front of her, but she could tell that Emma was holding back. Reluctantly, the Mayor once again broke the kiss. Despite the ways she wanted to keep Emma's mouth occupied, she knew they needed to put everything out in the open before they were fully reunited.

Regina stole one last, quick kiss, and then teased, "I can hear you thinking, Sheriff."

Emma gave her a half-hearted smirk, "Sorry." Emma leaned in to kiss her again, but Regina softly pushed on her shoulders to hold her back.

"Tell me what's bothering you."

Emma shuffled her feet but didn't move an inch away from Regina. "You know how I said you had a castle?"

The Mayor hummed an affirmative, "I believe you mentioned it."

Emma cleared her throat, "Well, you had it, because you were Queen of the United Realms."

Regina arched an eyebrow, "I was Queen of what?"

"Apparently, you turned Storybrooke into the home of a bunch of fairytale lands, and they elected you to be their queen." The Sheriff bit her lip, seeming stuck.

"Okay," Regina gently prompted, "So, I was Queen…"

Emma shook her head, "Never mind, it's dumb."

The Mayor gently grabbed the Sheriff's chin and waited for green eyes to meet hers. "Please, tell me."

Emma sighed, "It's just, you were Queen again. Not just of the Enchanted Forest people, but a bunch of realms, and they all loved you. And while you weren't with me, you had Facilier or whatever his name was-"

"The voodoo doctor?" Regina scoffed. He was someone from her past that she never expected to encounter again.

"Yeah, but apparently he's a good guy now, even though I don't like him." The Sheriff's expression darkened, and Regina's hand automatically shifted from the Sheriff's chin to running reassuringly over her jawline.

"Is that why you're upset, because the other me was dating an ex-villain?"

"No, it's not that," Emma hesitated again, and Regina was trying very hard to remain patient. With a deep breath, Emma seemed to steel herself and continued, "It's just that you had everything in that realm. You had your throne, everyone in the many combined kingdoms freaking adored you, and part of me can't help but feel like I took that away from you." Regina's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting where the blonde's hesitance was stemming from. Emma was biting her lip again, and anxiously awaiting the Mayor's response. Regina could practically feel the nerves rolling off the Sheriff in waves.

"Emma, I don't care how many kingdoms I ruled or how many of the citizens adored me. If these last three months have showed me anything, it's that I truly love my life with you, and there's not a chance I'd give that up for any throne."

A smile lit up the Sheriff's face, and the Mayor could tell Emma had finally gotten everything she'd needed to off her chest. The Mayor leaned forward to close the small space between them and reclaimed the Sheriff's lips. The kiss was quickly escalating, and when Regina broke away for much needed air, Emma started to trail tingling kisses over the Mayor's throat. Emma groaned when Regina pulled her back up into another heated kiss.

The Sheriff mumbled against the Mayor's lips, "I thought being around two of you got my heart racing, but I clearly forgot what you do to me with a kiss."

Only half-listening to Emma, Regina asked, "What?" Not really expecting an answer.

"One of the realms was, um," Emma seemed to lose her train of thought as Regina bit her earlobe, "t-the uh, wish realm, with the Evil Queen was, mmh, part of the combined realms. She liked teasing me."

"Oh," that last part caught more of the Mayor's attention but not enough to tempt her to remove her lips from the Sheriff's skin.

"Yeah, and she looked very good while doing it."

That comment did garner the Mayor's full attention, and she felt her eyebrows rising on her forehead. "Uh-huh." The brunette knew it was irrational, as the Evil Queen had quite literally been a part of her, but she felt the faint stirrings of jealousy.

The dangerous note in Regina's tone seemed to break through the Sheriff's lust addled mind, as the blonde's eyes blinked. The Mayor's childish wife gave her a knowing smirk. "You're hotter though," Emma promised, "in Evil Queen _and_ Mayor outfits."

Regina couldn't stop the grin that tugged at her lips, "The Queen looks exactly like me, dear."

Emma shook her head and stole a quick kiss, "Doesn't matter, you still make everything ten times sexier."

Regina's grin was stretching into a glowing smile, as she chuckled, "You're ridiculous."

Emma seemed very pleased with herself for dodging a sticky moment as she agreed, "Yeah, but I'm yours."

Hearing Emma say that, after months of insecurity and suffering through being with a version of her wife that had picked someone else, Regina felt like her heart was glowing, and husked, "Say it again."

The Sheriff smile and leaned in to whisper in Regina's ear, "I'm yours, Regina." She kissed below the Mayor's ear, "Just," she nipped at the brunette's pulse point, "yours."

Regina launched herself at Emma with renewed fervor as she all but growled, "Bed?"

"Please," Emma moaned. The pair pushed off the wall and began to stumble their way out of the living room. After nearly tripping over the coffee table, and stumbling against the couch, Regina collected herself enough to teleport her and Emma in a cloud of purple smoke, and then didn't think about anything but the Sheriff entwined around her for quite some time.

 **~SQ~**

In a dim cavern, a mirror froze with the image of the two women stumbling their way out of the living room. Another mirror, almost identical to the first, was stuck on the image of the other Emma closely wrapped around Hook in their moment of reunion. A man stood a few feet away, softly shaking his head and smiling at the two couples. He hadn't lied when he first met the two; they really were his favorite versions of the blonde Sheriff. With his eyes still glued to the mirrors in front of him, he called over his shoulder, "So, are you satisfied?"

A snide voice answered, "Yes, that will do." The man by the mirrors chuckled and turned to face the figure standing behind him. The cavern was fairly dim, but he could just make out the Dark One's face. Only the Dark One, this Dark One, would dare use that tone with him.

"Well then I would say our business is done."

The Dark One's head bobbed in agreement. "Indeed, it is." He turned and began to stride away from the man next to the mirrors. "Until next time, dearie," the Dark One threw over his shoulder.

Just as the Dark One was about to reach the exit, the man called, "Rumpelstiltskin."

The Dark One stopped with a hand on the door but turned to face him. After a very pregnant pause, Rumple drawled, "Well, what is it? I haven't got all day."

The man by the mirrors smiled, inwardly contemplating opening a portal to an undisclosed realm and dangling the Dark One over it, just to see if it would make the old sorcerer squirm. However, curiosity made him decide against the idea, but he let the seconds drag for a few seconds longer, pleased that the Dark One didn't attempt to leave. Clearly, Rumple was wise enough to realize that not even he could run from the Realm Master. Feeling like enough time had elapsed to silently assert that he was in charge, the man began, "Few people meet me and live to tell about it, even fewer earn a favor." His eyes searched the Dark One's impassive face. "Why would the great Rumpelstiltskin spend his one, precious favor from the Realm Master on the Savior of Storybrooke?"

If the Realm Master didn't know any better, he'd say grief was the emotion that flickered across the Dark One's face before he could tame the expression. The man in front of the mirror's had no intention of allowing Rumple to leave until he answered the question, and the Dark One must have sensed it, because he answered, "My eldest, Baelfire," Rumple's voice was gentler than most had ever heard when he spoke his son's name, "he always wanted me to be a hero. And now that I've finally conquered my darkness, now that I can be the father Bae deserved, he's no longer here to see it." The Dark One's voice was cold, but the Realm Master could sense the pain behind the words. Rumple's eyes slid over the Realm Master's shoulder and onto the image of Hook and Emma. "My son's last request was to that woman as he lay dying, and it was that she be happy. My son sacrificed himself for me, after I abandoned him and left him alone for centuries. The least I could do was ensure his last request was honored."

"So, the Queen-"

The Dark One cut across him, "The Savior of my realm chose the pirate. However, I always had a suspicion that she had feelings for the Mayor." Rumple's eyes flickered to his formal pupil entangled with her Emma. "I needed to know she was truly satisfied with her choice, and your abilities provided the perfect experiment."

The Realm Master chuckled, "So the Dark One really does have a heart."

The Dark One again glanced at the Mayor and her Sheriff, and in that moment, the Realm Master was certain that Rumple's favor had been spurred by even more than Baelfire's last request. Rumpelstiltskin really did care for the woman he helped turn into the Evil Queen.

The silence between the two stretched and stretched, and the Realm Master enjoyed it, fully aware that Rumple was done talking. Finally, he waved his hand in dismissal, and the Dark One left without a backwards glance.

Alone, the Realm Master turned back to his mirrors. He waved a hand over the image of Hook and Emma, watching as the mirror returned to its normal reflective surface. He then turned to the other mirror, peering at the two women wrapped around each other. As he finally waved his hand over the last image, making it disappear, he realized that his two favorite Emma's may have been narrowed down to one.

 **Thank you guys for reading! Thank you to Ivy Quinzel for sticking with this story and being a kickass Beta. And thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! That's it for this story, but I'll catch you guys on the next one : )**


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